Massachusetts school board elections, 2014
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There were no Massachusetts school districts among America's largest school districts by enrollment holding elections in 2014. School board elections in Massachusetts' largest school districts are held in odd-numbered years.[1]
State profile
Massachusetts' population in 2014 was 6,745,408 according to the United States Census Bureau. This estimate represented a 3 percent increase from the bureau's 2010 estimate. The state's population per square mile was 839.4 in 2010, exceeding the national average of 87.4.
Massachusetts experienced a 2.5 percent increase in total employment from 2011 to 2012 based on census data, falling below the 2.2 percent increase at the national level during the same period.[2]
Demographics
Massachusetts exceeded the national average for residents who attained at least bachelor's degrees based on census data from 2009 to 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 39.4 percent of Massachusetts residents aged 25 years and older attained bachelor's degrees compared to 28.8 percent at the national level.
The median household income in Massachusetts was $66,866 between 2009 and 2013 compared to a $53,046 national median income. Census information showed a 11.9 percent poverty rate in Massachusetts during the study period compared to a 14.5 percent national poverty rate.[2]
| Racial Demographics, 2013[2] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Massachusetts (%) | United States (%) |
| White | 83.2 | 77.7 |
| Black or African American | 8.1 | 13.2 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5 | 1.2 |
| Asian | 6.0 | 5.3 |
| Two or More Races | 2.1 | 2.4 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 10.5 | 17.1 |
| Presidential Voting Pattern, 2000-2012[3][4] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Democratic vote in Massachusetts (%) | Republican vote in Massachusetts (%) | Democratic vote in U.S. (%) | Republican vote in U.S. (%) |
| 2012 | 60.7 | 37.5 | 51.1 | 47.2 |
| 2008 | 61.8 | 36.0 | 52.9 | 45.7 |
| 2004 | 61.9 | 36.8 | 48.3 | 50.7 |
| 2000 | 59.8 | 32.5 | 48.4 | 47.9 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Academic performance
- See also: Public education in Massachusetts
| Education terms |
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| For more information on education policy terms, see this article. |
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NAEP scores
- See also: NAEP scores by state
The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Compared to three neighboring states (Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York), Massachusetts had the highest share of students (both fourth and eighth graders) who scored at or above proficient in reading during the 2012-2013 school year.[5]
| Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math - Grade 4 | Math - Grade 8 | Reading - Grade 4 | Reading - Grade 8 | |
| Massachusetts | 58% | 55% | 47% | 48% |
| Connecticut | 45% | 37% | 43% | 45% |
| New Hampshire | 59% | 47% | 45% | 44% |
| New York | 40% | 32% | 37% | 35% |
| U.S. average | 41% | 34% | 34% | 34% |
| Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014 | ||||
Graduation, ACT and SAT scores
The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Massachusetts and surrounding states for 2012 and 2013.[5][6][7]
| Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores* | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Graduation rate, 2012 | Average ACT composite, 2012 | Average SAT composite, 2013 | ||||
| Percent | Quintile ranking** | Score | Participation rate | Score | Participation rate | ||
| Massachusetts | 85% | Second | 24.1 | 23% | 1,553 | 83% | |
| Connecticut | 85% | Second | 23.8 | 27% | 1,532 | 85% | |
| New Hampshire | 86% | First | 23.8 | 19% | 1,567 | 70% | |
| New York | 77% | Fourth | 23.3 | 29% | 1,463 | 76% | |
| U.S. average | 80% | 21.1 | 1,498 | ||||
| *Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Rate (except for Idaho, Kentucky, Oklahoma, which did not report “Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate,” but instead used their own method of calculation). **Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express | |||||||
Dropout rate
- See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states
The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades 9–12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–11 and school year 2011–12. The event dropout rate for Massachusetts was lower than the national average at 2.7 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 2.5 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[8]
See also
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Public education in Massachusetts
Footnotes
- ↑ National School Board Association, "Selection of Local School Boards," accessed December 30, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Beta," accessed March 24, 2015
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of State, "Election Results," accessed April 17, 2015
- ↑ The American Presidency Project, "Presidential Elections Data," accessed March 24, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
- ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Dropout and Graduation Rate Data File, School Year 2010-11, Provision Version 1a and School Year 2011-12, Preliminary Version 1a," accessed May 13, 2014
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