Contact: John Barnes
206-937-9691
jbarnes@washingtonpolicy.org

Seattle – A new report released by Washington Policy Center (WPC) today rates the quality of schools in the Port Angeles-area school districts. WPC’s new Public School Accountability Index is based on data compiled by the State Board of Education’s 2010 Achievement Index. Lincoln High School ranks among the worst schools in the area. The school is listed as Struggling, the lowest ranking, indicating school officials are failing to educate students according to state standards. Stevens Middle School in Port Angeles is the area’s top school, ranked as Exemplary.

The best and worst scores in each district are listed below.

Port Angeles School District
Best: Stevens Middle School
Worst: Lincoln High School

Port Townsend School District
Best: Blue Heron Middle School
Worst: Grant Street Elementary

Sequim School District
Best: Sequim Senior High School
Worst: Sequim Community School

WPC’s Public School Accountability Index is based on data compiled by the State Board of Education’s 2010 Achievement Index, conducted to determine whether local school officials are fulfilling their paramount duty under the state constitution to provide a quality education for every child. The Index ranks schools as Exemplary, Very Good, Good, Fair or Struggling. A rating of Struggling is an indication local school officials are failing in their educational mission.

The full WPC School Accountability Index is available online here.  WPC’s two-page Policy Note explaining the School Accountability Index is available here.  Local schools are listed alphabetically.

Key Findings:

• 597,000, or nearly 60%, of Washington children attend Fair or Struggling public schools. 
• Only 93,000, less than 10%, of students attend a Very Good or Exemplary public school.
• The great majority of schools, 1,208, rank as only Fair or Struggling,
• Only 212 schools, barely 10%, rank as either Very Good or Exemplary.
• The poor academic performance is not due to lack of support from taxpayers – funding for Washington public education is at record highs.
• Public schools receive just over $10 billion a year, or $10,200 per student, in operating funds, plus an additional $1.3 billion for school construction.
• Since 1980 education spending, adjusted for inflation, has more than doubled, while the number of students, due to smaller families, has increased by only a third.
• There are fewer students today in relation to the total population than in the past, and spending per student is the highest ever.

Governor Gregoire says she found that more spending does not improve learning for children: “I put a lot more money into K-12.  But then you sit there and say, ‘Why have I not been able to get the result I set out to achieve?’” Policy changes that would improve learning for children without increasing spending are described in Washington Policy Center’s education reform plan, Eight Practical Ways to Reverse the Decline in Public Schools.