It is too early to tell whether state intervention succeeded or failed to raise student achievement in struggling Halifax County. According to a News & Observer story, “Scores increased at one of the district’s high schools, moving from about 28 percent to about 34 percent passing. But at the other high school, Northwest, the numbers barely budged.”
A six percent point jump may appear to be good sign, but remember that the cause of the increase is unknown. Perhaps test scores would have increased even more without intervention from the state. It is impossible to know for sure.
Quick Facts:
– At $10,667 per student, Halifax County has the 17th highest per pupil expenditure in North Carolina. Halifax’s per pupil expenditure is $2,000 higher than the state average.
– Average class sizes in grades K-8 range from 18 to 21 students. High school math, science, English, and social studies classes have, on average, 13 to 21 students. Most class size averages are two or three students above/below the state average.
– The percentage of elementary, middle, and high school teachers in Halifax County with 10+ years of experience meets or exceeds the state average.
– Elementary, middle, and high school principles in Halifax County have more experience (29 percent have 10+ years of experience) than the average public school principle (16 percent have 10+ years of experience).
