Data
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics" -Mark Twain
I'd like to present some data and statistics about NBCS that I feel community members should know as they decide how to vote regarding school budgets and such. These data cover the performance metrics for NBCS students, per-pupil costs to taxpayers, and comparing both of these to the rest of the state. To the right you'll see a variety of figures and tables, which I discuss in more detail below. These data all come from the NH Department of Education (DOE) website. Specifically, their Data Reports and School and District Report Card (iReport dashboard) website.
NBCS Performance Metrics
To cut right to the point: NBCS students are doing great overall, both when compared to state targets, as well as compared to their peers in the state.
The following data is taken from the NH DOE "iReport" dashboard here. You can get to these data by selecting New Boston Central School in the dropdown box, and then look under the "Achievement" tab on the following page.
Looking at the last year of available data (2022), NBCS students were well above state targets for proficiency, both for "English Language Arts" (ELA), and for Math. This is shown in the first chart to the right, "Assessment Proficiency by Subject".
The second chart, "Assessment Proficiency in Context", shows this proficiency data as compared to peers in the entire state. What is very clear is that NBCS students are well above the rest of the state in ELA, Math, and in Science.
The third chart, "Student Achievement Levels", shows the distribution of NBCS students in terms of proficiency level. Levels 3 and 4 are considered 'proficient', and you'll note that in each category, over half of the students are considered proficient. The fourth chart, "Assessment Proficiency Over Time", also shows that student proficiency at NBCS in 2022 has increased since 2021, even while proficiency statewide has been relatively static.
So not only are NBCS students doing great compared to state standards and compared to students in the rest of the state, NBCS is also improving over time. This is a testament not just to the students' hard work, but also the countless hours that the teachers and staff have put in to educating and supporting these students.
Education Costs Per Pupil
The next question one might ask is "How much are these great results costing the community?" That's a fair question. In NH, the average per-pupil cost across the state in 2021 was $18,434 (see the last table on the right), with the vast majority of funding coming from local taxes, rather than the State. But that doesn't mean every school district pays the same amount per pupil statewide. Some schools are blessed with enormous per-student budgets, while others are not so fortunate. You can see the per-pupil costs by district for the entire state in the Financial Reports section of the DOE's Data Reports website. You can also find per-pupil costs for individual schools in the state, and compare up to three schools to each other, under the 'Finance' tab of the iReport dashboard. There was also a very recent NH DOE press release that indicated the average statewide per-pupil cost in 2022 rose to $19,400. In looking at this district-by-district, New Boston's cost per-pupil dropped to $15,615.
NBCS' per-pupil cost in 2021 was $16,293, which is $2,141 less than the state average. The disparity was even greater in 2022 ($3,785 below the state average). But does this mean NBCS students are getting less of an education? Well, let's take a minute and compare NBCS to a nearby, better funded (per-pupil) public elementary school. In the well-funded Amherst school district, Clark-Wilkins School serves grades PK-4, and has a 2021 per-pupil cost of $22,253 -- almost $6k more per student than NBCS! Despite this dramatic funding disparity, the proficiency scores between the schools are fairly comparable (see a PDF of the comparison here). Specifically, NBCS has a slightly better ELA proficiency (71% vs. C-W's 65%), while C-W has a slightly better math proficiency (73% vs. NBCS' 64%). Overall, NBCS students are doing about as well as their peers right down the road who have ~36% more funding per student, and both schools are achieving well beyond state targets and state averages.
What's the point?
The main takeaway is despite having one of the lowest per-pupil costs in the state, NBCS students are achieving well beyond both their peers and state targets, for both ELA and Math proficiency scores. This means that New Boston taxpayers are not only getting a great return on their investment from NBCS, but are also paying much less per student than most other communities across the state. As a member of the New Boston School Board, I'll do everything I can to help NBCS keep up this amazing performance, without ballooning the budget.