South+Kingstown+District


 * District Description **
 * SOUTH KINGSTOWN **
 * Kelsea Adams and Katie Delaney **


 * Introduction **

The district of South Kingstown proves to be an excellent location for school districts in the state of Rhode Island according to the following information. This includes data about Safe and Supportive Schools, Funding and Resources, NECAP, Teaching, and Families and Communities. The South Kingstown district is excelling academically, financially and safely and this holds true in the above and below topic areas.
 * Safe and Supportive Schools **

South Kingstown, Rhode Island, as well as the rest of the state, has stellar attendance and graduation rates. Each had a target of 90% attendance and both exceeded this goal by 4-6% throughout elementary, middle, and high school. Only 18% of Rhode Island students and 13% of South Kingstown students were chronically absent. The graduation rate of South Kingstown, and Rhode Island itself, is relatively high. In 2011, 83.5% of high school students graduated in South Kingstown and only 9.6% dropped out. In Rhode Island, 77.2% of high school students graduated, and only 12.5% dropped out. In addition to graduates and drop-outs in South Kingstown, 1.9% of high school students obtained a GED and 5.0% are still in high school. In Rhode Island, 3.0% received a GED and 7.3% are still in high school. [1] (InfoWorks)

Suspension rates are low in South Kingstown in comparison to the rest of the state. Of the 5,416 South Kingstown students, 46 on the elementary level, 95 on the middle school level, and 1,404 on the high school level were suspended in the 2010-2011 school year. Of the 223,956 Rhode Island students, 2914 at the elementary level, 45,198 at the middle school level, and 26,983 at the high school level were suspended (Rhode Island Department of Education). (InfoWorks)

Fortunately, South Kingstown and Rhode Island enrollment remains consistent. Stability Index is the percentage of students who enroll before October 1 an remain in the school through June 1. Those of Kingstown elementary, middle, and high schools are high, namely: 93%, 95%, and 91%. Those of are Rhode Island are 87%, 89%, and 85%. This is beneficial, because it gives students consistency and stability within the school environment. The Mobility Index measures the percentage of students who enroll after October1 and leave before June 1. In South Kingstown elementary, middle, and high schools, the mobility rates are low; 8%, 5%, 9%, respectively. Mobility indexes of Rhode Island elementary, middle, and high schools are also low, 14%, 12%, and 17%, respectively. (InfoWorks)

**Funding and Resources**

South Kingstown is a relatively affluent district, which is beneficial to its school system. With a medium family income of $67,912 and a property value of $1,320,425.48 per student, South Kingstown is able to spend a tremendous $16,082 on each student. Although nearby East Greenwich has a higher median family income ($90,221), its property value per student is over $300,000 lower, and its school system spends $2,000 less on each student. Shockingly, Central Falls has a strikingly low median family income ($26,844) and a much lower property value per student ($196,417.72), but still manages to spend more on each student ($14,347) than the wealth East Greenwich. (InfoWorks)

** NECAP **

The South Kingstown district is a very prospering intellectual area according to the NECAP Assessments. The data shows that the South Kingstown district had NECAP results well above the state of Rhode Island's NECAP results in every single subject and grade. Students in the South Kingstown district scored higher on the NECAP tests in grades ranging from 3rd-11th grade and in subjects including math, reading,writing and science. For every subject and every year, more than 50% of the students in the South Kingstown district passed the NECAP exams. All in all, the South Kingston district is doing an excellent job teaching the students the required material and the students are definitely retaining the information years after. (InfoWorks)

** Teaching **

According to the Teaching results, the South Kingstown district has excellent teachers compared to the average for the state of Rhode Island. The teachers in the South Kingstown district only have 1% of their teachers being under qualified, while the state of Rhode Island has 8%. Also the teacher to student ratio is smaller in the South Kingstown district with a 1:10 ratio as compared to the state of Rhode Island's ratio of 1:11. Also the South Kingstown district has <1% of their teachers with an emergency certification, while the state of Rhode Island has 1% of their teachers. This information concludes that the teaching staff in the South Kingstown district is above satisfactory compared to average in Rhode Island. (InfoWorks)

** Families and Communities **

The South Kingstown district is somewhat homogenous compared to the state average of Rhode Island; therefore, they do not need to provide as many services as other schools in Rhode Island. For example, there is only 18% of students that qualify for subsidized lunch, as compared to 44% of students who qualify in the state of Rhode Island. This shows that the families have a higher income in the South Kingstown district than the average families in Rhode Island. Another example is that the district of South Kingstown has 0% of their students receiving ESL/Bilingual Education Services, while the state of Rhode Island has to provide these services for 6% of their students. Also, the South Kingstown School District has only 14% of their students receiving special education services, while Rhode Island must provide these services again for 16% of the students. In conclusion, the district of South Kingstown does not have as many minorities as compared to the state of Rhode Island and does not need to provide as many extra services that other school districts in Rhode Island must. (InfoWorks)

**Conclusion**

In conclusion, South Kingstown is an extraordinary district. It is both safe and supportive- having a low incidence rate and stellar graduation and attendance records. Since South Kingstown is such an affluent area, not many students need financial help, such as providing breakfast and/or lunch. The district provides abundant funding which allows the schools to have a challenging curriculum directed by highly qualified teachers. This then results in phenomenal results in NECAP Assessments- South Kingston placing well above the state of Rhode Island itself. Overall, South Kingstown is a high-achieving school district, full of opportunities, success, and academic excellence.