Student Engagement:
The Value of Small Schools in Missouri
National research[1]
shows that:
1)
Small schools contribute
to greater involvement of students
2)
Dropout rates are lower
and graduation rates are higher in small schools
3)
Students in small
schools exhibit less disruptive behavior
Small and Rural Schools in
Missouri:
<
There are 294 rural[2]
K-12 districts in Missouri and 177 small[3]
K-12 districts, compared to 270 large K-12 districts and 153 non-rural K-12
districts
<
All rural K-12 districts
are not small, but nearly all small K-12 districts are rural
An analysis of 2002-03 data
reported by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shows
that:
Dropout and Graduation
Rates
<
Small and rural schools
have lower dropout rates
|
|
In Small K-12 Districts |
In Rural K-12 Districts |
In Large K-12 Districts |
In Non-Rural K-12 Districts |
|
2002-03
Dropout Rate |
2.1 % |
2.4 % |
3.0 % |
3.1 % |
|
2001-02
Dropout Rate |
2.1 % |
2.5 % |
3.4 % |
3.5 % |
|
2000-01
Dropout Rate |
2.8 % |
3.1 % |
4.0 % |
4.3 % |
<
Small and rural schools
have higher graduation rates
|
|
In Small K-12 Districts |
In Rural K-12 Districts |
In Large K-12 Districts |
In Non-Rural K-12 Districts |
|
2002-03
Graduation Rate |
91.3 % |
89.6% |
85.6 % |
84.6 % |
|
2001-02
Graduation Rate |
89.9 % |
88.2 % |
84.2 % |
83.2 % |
|
2000-01
Graduation Rate |
88.3 % |
87.1 % |
83.6 % |
82.3 % |
Disciplinary Incidents
<
Small and rural schools
have far fewer disciplinary problems in every category recorded, including
incidents involving drugs, violence, and weapons.
<
Small and rural schools
also have fewer suspensions and expulsions
|
|
In Small K-12 Districts |
In Rural K-12 Districts |
In Large K-12 Districts |
In Non-Rural K-12 Districts |
|
Average Number of
Disciplinary Incidents[4] |
3.3 |
7.2 |
48.4 |
75.4 |
|
Average Number of Drug
Incidents |
2.0 |
3.9 |
11.3 |
15.2 |
|
Average Number of Violent
Incidents |
2.4 |
2.6 |
15.0 |
20.6 |
|
Average Number of Weapons
Incidents |
1.3 |
1.6 |
4.4 |
5.2 |
|
Average Number of In-School
Suspensions |
5.3 |
3.8 |
10.4 |
13.2 |
|
Average Number of
Out-of-School Suspensions |
3.3 |
6.8 |
44.2 |
68.6 |
|
Average Number of
Expulsions |
1.0 |
1.7 |
2.4 |
2.5 |