Kids Count

Did You Know? October 2008

• Over 40% of Alachua County children live in poverty, and over half of elementary school students in the county are eligible for free or reduced lunches.
• In 2008 the 3rd grade norm-referenced reading scores at Rawlings were 33% below the state average, and the mathematics scores were 38% below the state average.
• Students at Rawlings scored 56% on “school readiness” when entering kindergarten, significantly lower than their county (86%) and state (88%) peers. 
• Over 1600 youth are in the juvenile justice system in the Eighth Judicial Circuit, with the majority from Alachua County.  According to the US Justice Department, 80% of those incarcerated for violent crimes in the nation are illiterate.

Did You Know? December 2007

In Alachua County

• Three elementary schools were rated a D or F last year. Over 90% of the students in these three schools are considered economically disadvantaged by the Department of Education.
• In the schools with high populations of economically disadvantaged students, the norm-referenced reading score average was 40 out of 100 (versus 71 out of 100 at the schools with higher income families).
• The typical on-time graduation rate is only 65-70% of all students.
• However, less than 50% of low-income students graduate from high school in 4 years.