The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) published an education report card that analyzes K-12 performance in the Capital Region during the 2013-2014 school year.
The report examines data from the Louisiana Department of Education to make clear the outcomes of the public schools in the Baton Rouge Area and to provide an indication of overall regional performance.
BRAC produces this report card annually to serve as a tool for the business community, nonprofit organizations, regional leaders, and families to gauge the quality of educational options in the region, as well as challenges that remain.
A full copy of the education report card is accessible at brac.org/K12research.
“Public education is a critical part of growing the regional economy. Keeping track of and reporting this data publicly is important for families, newcomers, and business leaders,” said Adam Knapp, president and CEO of BRAC. “The data in the report card shows that there is still much work to do, but progress is being made. The sobering reality is that the jobs being created today cannot wait until workforce supply catches up.”
Some of the key findings include that the Capital Region is now home to five of the state’s top 10 school districts and that 12 of the 13 Baton Rouge Area districts posted improvements. The region’s average score improved by 6 percent, compared to a 1 percent improvement for the state as a whole. Three of the regions district’s improved by a full letter grate, including Livingston, St. Helena, and the Recovery School District in East Baton Rouge.
However, there is a need for improvement at a faster rate. Three out of 10 students in the Baton Rouge Area and five out of 10 students in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System attend schools that are rated D or F.
At D schools, a minimum of 30 percent of students fail to meet even “basic” achievement levels. In F schools, more than half of the student population does not meet this level of fundamental knowledge and skills.
The full report can be accessed at brac.org/K12research.