Mount+Pleasant+High+School

=Mount Pleasant High School =

** Providence School District **

**by Robin Keller**



//** To provide a challenging academic experience for students that encourages life-long learning. We endeavor to provide **////** students with a safe, healthy learning environment where they have opportunities to maximize their potential as responsible **////** citizens and active members of society. **//

Introduction
Mount Pleasant High School is one of 39 high schools within the Providence Rhode Island school district. It is located at 434 Mount Pleasant Avenue in north west Providence, a relatively poor area compared to the rest of the state. Mount Pleasant High School is made up of approximately 1400 students and 116 faculty members and serves students from grades nine through 12 (1). They have a six period day schedule which begins at 8:20 am and ends at 2:50 pm (1). Best known for their boy's basketball, Mount Pleasant provides students with a learning community with extracurricular activities, however, academic performance is strikingly low. This report will overview this school's demographics, the school environment, and student performance.

//Student Ethnicity//


 * [[image:student_demographics.png]] || This School || State Average ||  ||   ||
 * Hispanic || 58% || 18% ||
 * Black, not Hispanic || 27% || 9% ||
 * White, not Hispanic || 9% || 69% ||
 * Asian/Pacific Islander || 6% || 3% ||
 * American Indian/Alaskan Native || <1% || <1% ||  ||


 * Mount Pleasant is a very diverse high school with majority of their students having a Hispanic ethnicity. There are almost 3 times as many Hispanic students in this school compared to the Rhode Island's state average at a large percentage of 58%. 27% of students are Black, and 6% are Asian and less than 1% are American Indian. At Mount Pleasant only 9% of students are white, a dramatically lower percentage than the state average of 69%. There are approximately 1400 students who attend Mount Pleasant High School. There is a student to teacher ratio of 18:1, which is slightly more students to a teacher than the state average of 13.


 * School Environment **
 * //Extra Curricular Activities:// **
 * Mount Pleasant has an enriching environment including many extra curricular activities for students to be involved in. Students can partake in yearbook, instrumental music, dance, majorettes, robotics, debate and athletics including softball, football, basketball, cross country, wrestling, volleyball, indoor and outdoor track, cheer leading, soccer and baseball. Out of all these activities, the school is best known for their boy's basketball team, the Kilties. They also hold activities such as prom, winter dance, honor's night, athletic awards, and an academic decathlon.


 * ** Mount Pleasant participates in free or reduced lunches if the students qualify. 69% of students at Mount Pleasant are eligible for this lunch program. This school also has programs for those who speak English as their second language (ESL) and also those who are bilingual. 8% of students participate in the ESL program and 7% participate in the bilingual program. They also have a special education program in which 13% of students are self-contained and 7% are in general education with supports.
 * ** //Student's Points of View://  ** **
 * ** Students report a fairly stable and safe environment at Mount Pleasant High School. 24% of students report that they feel comfortable talking to a staff member at school  ** **
 * about academic issues and 12% report that they feel comfortable talking to a staff member about personal or family problems they are having. Only 15% of students report that not getting along with their teachers is a hassle. A small 13% claim that teasing or bullying has been a hassle for them at Mount Pleasant. However, 26% of students say that they have been robbed at school one or more times and 26% say that someone has tried to sell them drugs in school. Overall, the environment in school is mostly safe yet there are a few hazards of being robbed and being involved with drugs.


 * ** School Performance ** ****

// Proficiency: // Overall, Mount Pleasant High School has low levels of academic performance. From the 2008-2009 school year, in grade 11 only 1% of students tested proficient in mathematics. 11% are partially proficient and a striking 88% of Mount Pleasant students are substantially below a proficient level. Math is the worst subject over all, however, the others also show low levels of academic performance. In writing, only 13% of grade 11 students in 2008-2009 were proficient. Reading is the most successful subject, yet still only 35% of students were proficient. Writing and reading proficiency increased from the 2007-2008 school year to the 2008-2009 school year. However, math showed a decrease in proficiency from the 2007-2008 school year to the 2008-2009 school year. All of the subjects showed a significant amount of less proficiency than other Rhode Island schools. Also, the diversity of students by race, sex, poverty, and language did not substantially effect proficiency in any subjects. SAT scores from Mount Pleasant are much lower than state averages as well as national averages. For example, the mathematics section SAT average score from Mount Pleasant is 368, whereas the Rhode Island average is 487, more than 100 points higher.



// Graduation Rates: // The graduation rates at Mount Pleasant High School are much poorer than the average of Rhode Island. Only 65% of students graduated from Mount Pleasant in 2008, whereas the average rate for Rhode Island was 73.9%. The drop out rate for 2008 was 22.6% for Mount Pleasant and only 15.5% averaged for Rhode Island. Only 1.7% of students from Mount Pleasant High School completed their GED in 2008, almost only half of the average for Rhode Island, 3.2%.


 * ** Conclusion ** ****

Overall, Mount Pleasant High School gives their students a fairly safe and fairly enriched environment. There are many extracurricular activities provided at the school including after school clubs and also athletics. Mount Pleasant students report mediocre safety standards and fair comfort with their teachers and staff. The academic performance of Mount Pleasant High School students is very poor in relation to Rhode Island and national averages. Also, the graduation rates compare poorly with the state averages. Though the high school has relatively good environment and community, the learning at Mount Pleasant High School needs great improvement.