Public School Environmental Scanner

What is the difference between the 3 school districts?

RSD and OPSB* oversee the majority of schools, including charter-run schools which are managed independently. There are 2 BESE charter schools.

Some charter authorities manage multiple schools while others are single school charters. You can find out more about a school's charter authority by clicking on the dot.

A state appointed superintendent runs the RSD. The BESE oversees the RSD. A group of 7 elected officials manages the OPSB and its superintendent.

*OPSB is also known as New Orleans Public Schools (NOPS).

What is the ideal enrollment size for a school?

No agreement exists at present. But a literature review suggests several factors impact the importance of enrollment:

• Economic efficiency (cost per student)
• Curricular diversity (variety of classes)
• Availability of "small learning communities" (this can make a big school feel smaller)
• Student socioeconomic status (whether they are generally more affluent or more impoverished)
• School location (urban or rural)
• Grade levels (elementary, middle, high school, combination)
• Quality of teachers and facilities

Grade Level Definitions

Elementary: any school within PK-8 range which does not fit the definition for Middle/Junior

Middle/Junior: any school within 4-9 range that includes grades 7 or 8 and excludes grades PK-3 and 10-12

Secondary (High): any school within 6-12 range that includes grades in the 10-12 range; or any school that contains only grade 9

Combination: any school PK-12 range not described above

What does data on free/reduced lunch tell you?

Since eligibility is based on the federal poverty guideline, this data identifies schools where there may be a high percent of students qualifying for certain programs. This allows organizations to focus their resources at those schools.

Free/reduced lunch is also often used as an indicator of poverty to track change over time and examine the differences between schools.

To qualify, a student's family income must be below 130% of the federal poverty guideline for free lunch and below 185% for reduced price lunch.

Note that because these guidelines allow for people making almost twice the poverty line, the data can mask concentrations of extreme poverty.

Why would someone want data on limited English proficiency?

Students with limited English proficiency often face additional barriers to receiving a quality education in public schools. For this reason, some organizations target their programs to provide additional support for this population.