Dorchester School Compares Favorably To Peers

Education in Nebraska is expensive business. About 65 percent of your local property tax dollar goes to your local school district. At Dorchester Public School, more than 70 percent of receipts come from local taxpayers.

All things considered, school district patrons have every right to expect high standards from their school's administration, instructors and students. (It is also why district patrons should expect efforts to encourage young people to return to their home area after college so they can contribute to the local economy, but that is another story for another day.)

So how does Dorchester Public School compare to other Nebraska schools?

Using statistics found on the Nebraska Department of Education Web site, the Times has compiled key figures to give our readers a good idea of where Dorchester Public School is succeeding and where there is room for improvement.

For example, when it comes to preparation of college-bound student, Dorchester appears to be doing considerably better than the majority of other public schools in Nebraska. For school year 2006-07, the latest year for which statistics are available, the average composite ACT score of Dorchester students was 23.8. That compares favorably to the 22.1 statewide average and the 21.2 U.S. average.

Dorchester School earns an "exemplary" rating in both reading and mathematics following standardized tests taken in the 2006-07 school year -- again, the latest results available on the Education Department's site. The statewide assessment tests are given to students in grades 4, 8 and 11.

The vast majority of Dorchester students met the state's reading standards. For school year 2006-07, the 95 percent of fourth graders, 94 percent of eighth graders, and 84 percent of high school juniors could meet the reading standards. This included English Language Learners and Special Education students.

As a whole, Dorchester students scored slightly lower on mathematics and writing assessments. Still, scores in both subjects were well above 70 percent. The lone exception were the eleventh graders, with one-third of the class failing to meet the state's writing test. (While 100 percent of the class' females met the writing standards, only 43 percent of the class' males were able to do so.)

A few more interesting facts we found:

• For school year 2006-2007, the average Dorchester teacher salary was $34,906 (not including health insurance and other benefits) compared to the state average teacher salary of $42,080.

• About 98 percent of DHS teachers were endorsed, compared to the state average of 94 percent. (Endorsements mean the teachers majored in the subjects they teach.)

• Dorchester's graduation rate in 2007 was 100 percent.

• About 8 percent of Dorchester students were English Language Learners (primarily Spanish speaking) compared to the state average of 6.5 percent.

• About 18 percent of Dorchester students were Special Education students, compared to the state average of about 15 percent, meaning additional expenses for the local school district.

• Exactly 80 percent of Dorchester fourth graders receiving free or reduced-price lunches met or exceeded the state's writing standards (NOTE: This is a clarification of our orginial post.)

More Dorchester-specific information can be found here.