The Jefferson County Public Schools research division compiles reams of data each year on how JCPS students and schools are performing. In the tables we present some of that data.
Exactly what these numbers tell us about any individual school is endlessly debatable, but it is certainly true that the only good way to get to know any school is to visit it and talk to other parents whose children att/files/storyimages/that school and to the teachers and administrators who run it.
Our hope is that parents and students will use these statistics as one more tool to better understand and evaluate any particular school or group of schools.
Here are the definitions of the statistical categories we’ve included in our tables (all numbers are the most recent available, and are for the 2002-2003 school year unless otherwise noted.)
School Capacity: The maximum number of students a school is designed to serve, depending on its academic program. These figures are for 2003-2004.
Enrollment: The number of students attending a school
Student/Teacher Ratio: A school’s enrollment divided by its number of teachers employed.
Student/Computer Ratio: A school’s enrollment divided by computer workstations % in Advance Program: The percentage of a school’s students who participate in the Advance Program. Schools with “NA” do not offer advance programs.
CATS Index: All Kentucky schools are evaluated each year by the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System. The CATS Index is based mostly on student scores on the Kentucky Core Content Tests in math, science, reading and other subjects. A small part of the CATS Index is derived from students’ CTBS scores (see below) and from a school’s attendance, retention and dropout rates. A CATS Index of 100 would indicate that a school has reached the state’s goal of overall proficiency.
% CATS Change from Previous Year: The percentage gain or decline in a school’s CATS Index from 2002-2003. A positive number represents an improvement over the previous year; a negative number indicates a decline.
CTBS Total: The Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills is a battery of nationally standardized achievement tests administered to all students in grades 3, 6 and 9. Scores range from 1 to 99; 50 represents the national average.
% CTBS Change from Previous Year: The percentage gain or decline in a school’s CTBS scores from 2002 to 2003.
Free/Reduced Lunch %: The percentage of students at each school who receive free or reduced-price school lunches, based on federal family-income guidelines. A higher number indicates that a school serves a greater percentage of low-income students.
Suspensions: The number of disciplinary suspensions issued during the 2002-2003 school year at a particular school. disciplinary suspensions are based on the JCPS Student Code of Conduct.
SAT, ACT Sores (High Schools Only): Gives the percentage of the 2003 graduating class who took either of the two main college-admissions tests at a given school and the combined or composite average scores of the students taking those tests at each school.
% to College (High Schools Only): Percentage of the 2003 graduating class who attended two-year or four-year colleges.
