Baton Rouge, La. (December 5, 2019) – The Capital Region made positive strides in its public education systems, according to a newly released report by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC). BRAC today released part one of its education and talent report that analyzes public education performance in the Capital Region for the 2018-2019 school year. The report is available online at brac.org/reports and is being distributed electronically to its investors.
BRAC’s annual report is now released in two parts: Part One examines performance of the region’s early childhood networks and K-12 systems. Part Two will examine school choice performance, college and career readiness, system attributes, and the current post-secondary talent supply.
“Our report shows that the Capital Region is focusing on growth in student achievement, strengthening its best school systems and making some impressive gains at lower-performing schools,” said Nial Patel, the chair of BRAC’s Education and Workforce Issue Council and Senior Vice President at Cornerstone Government Affairs. “The need for continued improvement remains as the quality of our schools is critical to building the workforce of tomorrow.”
Key takeaways from BRAC’s 2018-2019 review include:
- Capital Region Early Childhood Education (ECE) networks that serve children aged birth-2 have increased from 82 percent in 2018 to 91 percent in 2019
- Pointe Coupee’s early childhood network serves the most at-risk children between ages birth and three in the region, increasing the percentage of such children served to between 30-49 percent in 2019
- Capital Region school districts have increased the number of schools preforming above a (C) letter grade to 53 percent from 44 percent in 2018
- Four Capital Region districts improved their A through F letter grade
- Zachary School District remains the top performing school district in the state, receiving 95.9 of 150 possible points (A), followed by Ascension Parish scoring 92.3 (A)
- East Baton Rouge’s “Innovation Network” schools saw impressive gains in School Performance Scores, with the top performing school improving 14 percent
The full report is available online at brac.org/reports.
About the Baton Rouge Area Chamber
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) leads economic development in the nine-parish Baton Rouge Area, working to grow jobs and wealth and to improve the business climate and competitiveness in the region. Today, BRAC investors include more than 1,400 small businesses, mid-sized firms, large industry and entrepreneurial startups, as well as individuals and organizations that support business and economic development. In this capacity, BRAC serves as the voice of the business community, providing knowledge, access, services and advocacy. More information is available at brac.org.
###
Morgan is the Marketing Manager for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. In her role, she manages writing organizational publications and materials, oversees BRAC’s social media and blog, and coordinates timelines for all internal marketing projects.