Bristol+Warren+District+Report

__**INTRODUCTION**__ Bristol is located in southeast Rhode Island, bordering Portsmouth and Mt Hope Bay. The school district serves children in grades K through 12 in the Bristol Warren area. There is a myriad of information available about this district. Overall, it is known for its affluence and above average testing scores, however the district of Bristol only appears 9th out of 36 districts in Rhode Island when it comes to median family income. This could indicate that Bristol is not as prosperous an area as previously perceived. The following report on the district of Bristol will display facts to show the public a detailed description of Bristol by analyzing and featuring information on the students, teachers, schools, families, and funding.

The NECAP is testing administered by the state of Rhode Island and required of all of the public schools. The students of Bristol, Rhode Island score higher on the NECAPS compared to the state (percentage-wise) in every category except for 11th grade science. However, there is only a 1% difference between the two 11th grade science percentages. When comparing Bristol to the state of Rhode Island regarding 7th grade math scores, Bristol has a proficiency of 74% while the State’s proficiency is at 54%. Furthermore, there is a abnormality in Bristol's scores during the past three years in the category of 7th grade reading. Over this time span, the percentage of students who are proficient with distinction has decreased while the number of students below the standard has increased. This negative trend does not seem to occur in any other grades. (InfoWorks)
 * __NECAP__**

Bristol exceeds all state targets regarding school attendance and has a lower chronic absenteeism rate than the state. Also, the four year graduation rate is higher than the states average and the percentage of students dropping out is lower. Due to less students dropping out of school, Bristol has a lower GED percentage than the states average and a higher percentage of students still in school. In 2009, a higher percentage of students graduated in Bristol than in the overall state. However, more students needed five years to graduate in Bristol than the state. Overall, Bristol’s school system is functioning properly, generally surpassing all state targets listed. A students going through the Bristol school district has a very good chance at graduating with a diploma. (InfoWorks)
 * __ATTENDANCE AND GRADUATION RATES IN SCHOOLS__**

The number of suspensions in the district and in the state increases as the students progress further into their education. Elementary schools in the district have 52 incedents of suspension and statewide elementary schools have 2914 incidents. Middle schools follow a similar trend, Bristol Warren has 169 incedents and the state has 14730 incidents. Bristol Warren high schools have 2133 incedents of suspension and the state has 24491 suspension incedents. All of the suspensions in this data are compiled from the 2009 to 2010 school year. (InfoWorks)
 * __SUSPENSIONS IN SCHOOLS__**

The student indicators including the mobility index and the stability index for the state and for Bristol Warren are quite similar. The mobility is the percentage of students that move in or out of the school during the year, whereas the stability index indicates the amount of students who stayed in the same school for the entire school. The general trend is the stability index for the district is greater than in the state throughout elementary, middle and high schools. The mobility index in the district is a smaller percent then in the state. Overall these differences balanced out. (InfoWorks)
 * __MOBILITY AND STABILITY IN SCHOOLS__**

When it comes to education, teachers are often labeled by their qualifications. Two negative qualifications that teachers can be labeled as are: teachers with emergency certification and not highly qualified teachers. Teachers with emergency certification are not fully qualified for state certification but are allowed to teach if fully certified teachers are not available. In Bristol, there are minimal emergency certified teachers (less than 1%), as compared to the state who has 1% of teachers with emergency certification. Not highly qualified teachers are teachers who have undergone rigorous state qualification standards. These standards include having a bachelor’s degree, having full state certification, and demonstrating specific content mastery. In Bristol, a mere 1% of teachers are not highly qualified versus the state where 3% of teachers are not highly qualified. (InfoWorks)
 * __TEACHING__**

When the data is analyzed and the pros and cons are weighed, Bristol has a commendable school system. Early intervention participation in Bristol (13%) is higher than in the state (10%). All kindergarten students in Bristol are in full day kindergarten, while the state only has 68% of students in all day kindergarten. There are few English language learners in the state (5%) and even fewer in Bristol (3%). According to the data, 5% less students are enrolled in a special education program in the community compared with the state. All Bristol schools are making sufficient progress and only 85% of schools in the state are making sufficient progress. The fourth grade state testing scores are higher in the district than the in Rhode Island. The high school attendance rate is 91% in both the state and the district. Although the suspension rate per 100 students in Bristol (68) is higher than the state (30), the high school graduation rate is better in Bristol (82%) than the state (76%). The Bristol school district is a good place to send children to school. (InfoWorks) In Bristol, there are very few students (or at least a smaller percentage than the state) who are eligible or receiving disability benefits such as subsidized lunch, bilingual services, or special education services. The state supports 43% of their children with subsidized lunch versus only 33% of Bristol’s children. The trend continues with bilingual services; the state aids 5% of children yet Bristol only assists 3%. Finally, the state aids 16% of children with special education services yet Bristol only supports 10%. Bristol's families seem to be overall better off than the state. (InfoWorks)
 * __Early Education Leads to All Around Good Education__**
 * __FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES__**

On average Bristol Warren has considerable funding and resources. Bristol Warren falls between East Greenwich, an affluent Rhode Island Community and Central Falls a less prosperous school district in Rhode Island. The per pupil expenditure, which is the average amount of money the district spends on one student in the district, is $17,202. This is not an incredible amount, but more than many others in Rhode Island. With this per pupil expenditure, Bristol can afford things such as gym equipment or text books, but it is not enough money where they can just dump loads of money into their educational system. (InfoWorks)
 * __FUNDING AND RESOURCES__**

__**CONCLUSION**__ Considering all aspects ranging from the students, teachers, schools, families, and funding; Bristol's public school system would be a choice community for a family to settle in. When comparing Bristol's statistics to the state as a whole, this district often surpasses the states acheivement. Furthermore, when the district struggled with NECAP scores, they often improved the following year, causing little alarm. The school system is often an important factor when determining where to relocate or reside, possibly determing a child's academic success or failure. Keeping that in mind, Bristol Warren would be a favorable area to select.