An article recently appearing in the The Atlantic titled Segregation Now discussed how 60 years after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, separate but equal schooling is reappearing in the Tuscaloosa, AL public school system. In the article, Nikole Hannah-Jones writes:
"High-poverty, segregated black and Latino schools account for the majority of the roughly 1,400 high schools nationwide labeled “dropout factories”—meaning fewer than 60 percent of the students graduate. School officials often blame poor performance on the poverty these kids grow up in. But most studies conclude that it’s the concentration of poor students in the same school that hurts them the most."
In Massachusetts, there are 42 schools that currently could be considered 'dropout factories' based on the criteria of having a graduation rate of less than 60%
School
|
City
|
2013 4 yr. Grad
Rate
|
% Low
Income
|
East
Boston High
|
Boston
|
58.0%
|
76.0%
|
Jeremiah
E. Burke
|
Boston
|
56.8%
|
79.7%
|
City
on a Hill Charter
|
Boston
|
53.4%
|
86.7%
|
Wareham
Cooperative
|
Wareham
|
52.7%
|
53.8%
|
Fitchburg
Alt. Ed
|
Fitchburg
|
51.6%
|
61.5%
|
The
English High
|
Boston
|
51.5%
|
87.2%
|
International
High
|
Lawrence
|
48.5%
|
92.7%
|
Gateway
to College
|
Ralph
C Mahar
|
48.0%
|
4.7%
|
Boston
International
|
Boston
|
45.5%
|
77.4%
|
High
School Science-Tech
|
Springfield
|
45.0%
|
81.8%
|
Charlestown
High
|
Boston
|
42.2%
|
87.5%
|
Edison
Academy
|
Brockton
|
39.7%
|
84.9%
|
Dean
Vocational Tech
|
Holyoke
|
39.3%
|
92.2%
|
Boston
Adult Academy
|
Boston
|
36.6%
|
76.9%
|
Dorchester
Adult Academy
|
Boston
|
36.5%
|
82.7%
|
High
School of Commerce
|
Springfield
|
35.8%
|
80.6%
|
Resiliency
Prep
|
Fall
River
|
34.7%
|
91.3%
|
Gtr. Egleston
Community
|
Boston
|
33.7%
|
91.4%
|
Horace
Mann - Schl Deaf
|
Boston
|
33.3%
|
91.9%
|
Liberty
Prep
|
Springfield
|
33.3%
|
81.2%
|
Springfield
High School
|
Springfield
|
31.7%
|
81.5%
|
Goddard
Alternative
|
Brockton
|
30.8%
|
96.2%
|
School
for Exceptional Studies
|
Lawrence
|
30.0%
|
94.3%
|
Gardner
Academy
|
Gardner
|
27.8%
|
70.3%
|
Trinity
Day Academy
|
New
Bedford
|
27.3%
|
70.7%
|
Springfield
Public Day
|
Springfield
|
26.8%
|
87.4%
|
Seacoast
Day
|
Revere
|
24.7%
|
89.4%
|
Whaling
City Jr/Sr
|
New
Bedford
|
24.2%
|
84.8%
|
Community
Academy
|
Boston
|
23.1%
|
82.1%
|
Gateway
to College
|
Springfield
|
21.7%
|
77.1%
|
High
School Learning Ctr
|
Lawrence
|
20.5%
|
81.4%
|
Fecteau-Leary
Jr/Sr
|
Lynn
|
20.0%
|
89.9%
|
Full
Circle
|
Somerville
|
20.0%
|
91.1%
|
William
McKinley
|
Boston
|
18.6%
|
94.0%
|
Phoenix
Charter Academy
|
Chelsea
|
18.3%
|
87.6%
|
Boston
Day & Evening Charter
|
Boston
|
16.7%
|
84.8%
|
BB
Russell Alt
|
Brockton
|
15.8%
|
92.2%
|
Salem
Community Charter
|
Salem
|
15.4%
|
97.7%
|
Brockton
Champion
|
Brockton
|
15.3%
|
70.1%
|
Haverhill
Alternative
|
Haverhill
|
12.5%
|
95.9%
|
Lowell
Middlesex Charter
|
Lowell
|
10.4%
|
79.8%
|
Chicopee
Academy
|
Chicopee
|
7.3%
|
94.3%
|
The average low income rate at these schools based on the 2013-14 enrollment data is 82.3%; the range was 4.7% to 97.7% with Gateway to College School in Ralph C Mahar being the major outlier. At the district level, there are three public school systems that fall into this category as well (Holyoke, 53.8%; Springfield, 54.9%; and New Bedford, 59%) in addition to the charter schools listed above which the state also categorizes as single-school districts.
Looking at the enrollment of black and Hispanic/Latino students, these students make up a high percentage of the populations at the schools on this list.
Looking at the enrollment of black and Hispanic/Latino students, these students make up a high percentage of the populations at the schools on this list.
School
|
2013 4 yr.
Grad
Rate
|
%
African Amer./Black
|
%
Hispanic/
Latino |
East
Boston High
|
58.0%
|
66.4%
|
13.2%
|
Jeremiah
E. Burke
|
56.8%
|
75.9%
|
20.1%
|
City
on a Hill Charter
|
53.4%
|
65.0%
|
30.4%
|
Wareham
Cooperative
|
52.7%
|
6.7%
|
3.8%
|
Fitchburg
Alt. Ed
|
51.6%
|
3.4%
|
42.5%
|
The
English High
|
51.5%
|
41.8%
|
51.0%
|
International
High
|
48.5%
|
0.2%
|
98.5%
|
Gateway
to College
|
48.0%
|
4.7%
|
7.8%
|
Boston
International
|
45.5%
|
46.7%
|
47.2%
|
High
School Science-Tech
|
45.0%
|
18.7%
|
69.4%
|
Charlestown
High
|
42.2%
|
41.9%
|
30.4%
|
Edison
Academy
|
39.7%
|
71.0%
|
9.2%
|
Dean
Vocational Tech
|
39.3%
|
1.5%
|
91.1%
|
Boston
Adult Academy
|
36.6%
|
64.6%
|
28.3%
|
Dorchester
Adult Academy
|
36.5%
|
68.8%
|
20.4%
|
High
School of Commerce
|
35.8%
|
24.4%
|
65.7%
|
Resiliency
Prep
|
34.7%
|
10.4%
|
26.8%
|
Gtr. Egleston
Community
|
33.7%
|
37.7%
|
52.6%
|
Horace
Mann - Schl Deaf
|
33.3%
|
36.0%
|
41.4%
|
Liberty
Prep
|
33.3%
|
12.5%
|
65.6%
|
Springfield
High School
|
31.7%
|
26.2%
|
60.0%
|
Goddard
Alternative
|
30.8%
|
45.3%
|
13.2%
|
School
for Exceptional Studies
|
30.0%
|
4.6%
|
82.5%
|
Gardner
Academy
|
27.8%
|
0.0%
|
2.2%
|
Trinity
Day Academy
|
27.3%
|
9.8%
|
24.4%
|
Springfield
Public Day
|
26.8%
|
36.2%
|
51.1%
|
Seacoast
Day
|
24.7%
|
6.2%
|
52.1%
|
Whaling
City Jr/Sr
|
24.2%
|
20.2%
|
37.4%
|
Community
Academy
|
23.1%
|
77.2%
|
16.0%
|
Gateway
to College (Springfield)
|
21.7%
|
22.9%
|
601.0%
|
High
School Learning Ctr
|
20.5%
|
1.8%
|
94.0%
|
Fecteau-Leary
Jr/Sr
|
20.0%
|
19.7%
|
43.3%
|
Full
Circle
|
20.0%
|
21.4%
|
35.7%
|
William
McKinley
|
18.6%
|
49.1%
|
35.0%
|
Phoenix
Charter Academy
|
18.3%
|
25.9%
|
64.8%
|
Boston
Day & Evening Charter
|
16.7%
|
48.6%
|
35.3%
|
BB
Russell Alt
|
15.8%
|
70.3%
|
14.1%
|
Salem
Community Charter
|
15.4%
|
7.0%
|
46.5%
|
Brockton
Champion
|
15.3%
|
41.2%
|
19.6%
|
Haverhill
Alternative
|
12.5%
|
10.2%
|
38.8%
|
Lowell
Middlesex Charter
|
10.4%
|
2.0%
|
38.4%
|
Chicopee
Academy
|
7.3%
|
6.6%
|
55.7%
|
The average percent of black and Hispanic/Latino students combined at these schools is 71.1% based on the most recent data (the average for black students is 29.8% and 54.2% for Hispanic/Latino students).
All data taken from: www.doe.mass.edu
