Quality Counts Overall State Grades: As reported in Quality Counts 2012: The Global Challenge – Education in a Competitive World.
Pre-K-12 Enrollment: Number of public school students attending prekindergarten through grade 12. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 2009-10 (district-level data).
Number of Districts: Number of school districts in the state. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 2009-10 (district-level data).
Number of Public Schools: Number of operational public schools in the state, prekindergarten through grade 12. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 2009-10 (state-level data).
Number of Public School Teachers: Number of teachers in the state’s public schools, including those teaching prekindergarten and ungraded classes. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 2009-10 (state-level data).
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditures: Per-pupil funds spent on the day-to-day operation of schools and school districts, prekindergarten to grade 12, including staff salaries and benefits, supplies, and purchased services, but excluding spending on buildings and interest on school debt. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, “Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2008-09 (Fiscal Year 2009).”
Minority Student Enrollment: Percent of all students not classified as “White, Non-Hispanic” in federal reporting, prekindergarten through grade 12. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 2009-10 (state-level data).
Students with Disabilities: Percent of students in each state who have an “Individualized Education Plan” (IEP) as required under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 2009-10 (district-level data). The EPE Research Center reports comparable data from the 2008-09 school year for Vermont where 2009-10 data were clearly flawed.
English-Language Learners: Percent of students in each state who are receiving English-language-instruction educational services. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 2009-10 (district-level data).
Students Eligible for Free/Reduced Price Lunch: Percent of public school students eligible for the National School Lunch Program. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 2009-10 (school-level data). The EPE Research Center reports comparable data from the 2008-09 school year for New York where 2009-10 data were clearly flawed.
NAEP Mathematics 2011 (4th and 8th grades): Percent of public school students who scored at or above the “proficient” level. National Assessment of Educational Progress, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, 2011.
NAEP Reading 2011 (4th and 8th grades): Percent of public school students who scored at or above the “proficient” level. National Assessment of Educational Progress, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, 2011.
