Pioneer’s www.massreportcards.com makes comparing schools a breeze

It’s no surprise to hear that public schools in wealthy communities tend to outperform those in less fortunate areas.  The surprise is the ease of measuring this disparity and many others, too: just take a look at the numbers on Pioneer Institute’s education transparency website, www.massreportcards.com.

For example, Weston and Lawrence high schools serve opposite ends of the income spectrum.  Weston consistently ranks as one of the wealthiest towns in Massachusetts while Lawrence ranks among the poorest. This dichotomy is mirrored in their respective high schools’ graduation rates and post-graduation plans.

As one might expect, Weston has a whopping 96 percent graduation rate with less than one percent of students dropping out.  Compare that to Lawrence, where less than half graduate and 26 percent drop out.

The divide widens further when comparing post graduation plans.

Only 17 percent of Lawrence high school students go on to a four-year private college. Weston, on the other hand, sends 84 percent of students to four-year private schools. In Lawrence, 45 percent of grads attend a two-year public college while less than one-percent of Weston grads do so.   Three percent of Lawrence graduates join the military, while virtually no students from Weston do so upon graduating from high school.

Find out how your community stacks up against others by visiting www.massreportcards.com.