| Scope To gauge the Charlotte region’s “educational” health, this report looks at demographic changes, educational attainment and investment in public education for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (P-12). The demographic changes focus on enrollment growth in public schools (P-12) and the working population 25 and older with a college education. Educational attainment is ascertained by examining SAT scores, high school graduation rates and high school graduates continuing their education. Expenditures per pupil and capital expenditures per capita provide insight into investment in public education (P-12).
Regional Context
Over the last 20 years, the tremendous increase in public school enrollment mirrors the rapid growth of the Charlotte region. Since the late 1980s the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system has become one of the nation’s largest public school districts. As of the 2003-04 school year, it ranked 24th in the nation based on enrollment, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Union County, just east of Charlotte, has been the fastest-growing district in the state for several years. Union’s school enrollment has already surpassed that of more urban counties in North Carolina. By the end of the 2005-06 school year, Union County exceeded the school enrollment of Durham County as well as the combined Buncombe County/Asheville city schools. As of 2006-07, it became the region’s second-largest school district, passing Gaston County schools in enrollment (Union 34,312; Gaston 31,861). Though enrollment growth has been dramatic in several counties in the Charlotte region, the majority of student enrollment growth is occurring in only a few counties across North and South Carolina. This pattern of uneven growth is also evident in the Charlotte region. In addition to the student population, the educational level of the working population in the region is also changing because of growth. With the exception of Mecklenburg County, the Charlotte region historically has not had educational levels that match state or national averages. Recently, however, Mecklenburg and several other counties have experienced rapidly increasing percentages of college and professionally educated residents. As part of handling the region’s growth, the required investment in schools has been a widely debated public policy issue in recent years. New testing measures in public schools have brought higher scrutiny to public education while at the same time the extraordinary growth has buffeted the region’s educational infrastructure. Questions about the success of educational approaches have been mixed with concerns about capital investments needed to deal with growth. Taken together, these concerns have made the issues surrounding education more challenging to define and resolve in the region. Educational data in this section reflect rapid demographic changes and the challenges in managing growth and maintaining economic competitiveness as education becomes increasingly critical to maintaining the region’s prosperity.
Summary of Indicator Results
Results show a vastly uneven rate of public school enrollment growth in the 14-county region. Among the 21 school districts in the region, high growth has occurred in parts of York, Union, Cabarrus and Mecklenburg counties, while Chester, Anson and Stanly have experienced declines in public school enrollment. Districts with high enrollment growth have experienced pressure on educational infrastructure to accommodate their school-age population. But there’s also been a major educational benefit tied to the high growth. Counties showing the highest percentage increases in public school enrollment are also showing the highest percentage increases in college graduates in the working population. Since in-migration is the largest component of both population growth and enrollment growth, this suggests that newcomers are raising average educational attainment levels. Only Mecklenburg exceeds the national average of working population with a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education. Several counties are approaching the national average, however, and the majority of counties are experiencing growth rates in college-educated population well above the national growth rate in 2005 estimates. In terms of college preparedness, students within most districts in the region are scoring within a few percentage points of the U.S. average for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). High schools within Charlotte-Mecklenburg, however, show a wide range of SAT scores, both above and below the national average. That pattern is not as evident in the surrounding counties, where scores are more similar. In looking at high school graduation rates and post high school education, patterns vary. School districts show widely different graduation rates for students who begin as freshmen and finish in four years. The region shows two high-growth districts in the top four in graduation rates, York 4 (Fort Mill) and York 2 (Clover), and two low-growth districts occupying the other slots, Catawba County and York 1 (S.C. area). Once graduated, students from different districts also show different patterns in college and technical school attendance, reflecting an uneven level of educational outcomes and opportunities across the region. For example, while more than 90 percent of students from York 4 (Fort Mill) go on to further education, less than 60 percent of students from York 2 (Clover) do so, despite both districts’ having high school graduation rates that are among the highest in the region. The two low-growth districts with high graduation rates also are widely divergent, with Catawba County at more than 80 percent seeking further education and York 1 (S.C. area) just above 50 percent, the lowest post high school education rate in the region. The region’s investments in P-12 public education, measured by average in per-pupil expenditures, are just below the national average, as with the regional SAT score average. Though the regional average has been rising, per pupil expenditures have remained below both national and state averages in recent years. Such expenditures show a fairly wide range of dollars spent from one district to another, and capital expenditures vary widely as well. Not surprisingly, capital expenditures generally go up with enrollment growth.
Missing and Future Indicators
Data and time constraints precluded the inclusion of several indicators: reading and math scores at third and eighth-grade levels, turnover rates for teachers, school-bond passage rates and facility construction backlogs. North and South Carolina log test scores and teacher turnover rates in such different ways that it makes the data difficult to compare. Tracking passage of school bonds was difficult to gather on short notice. The sporadic nature of bonds makes long timelines best for comparisons. Capital expenditures were used to gain some idea of local support for school construction and improvement. To look at facility construction backlogs, an objective scale is needed. Criteria such as whether and how mobile classrooms are counted, ways to measure and compare renovation needs, etc. would need to be in place for this to be pursued. In the future, the report’s authors would like to see a regional survey to assess attitudes and opinions about educational issues, including satisfaction, support for improvement, and private/home schooling. Better ways to compare achievement levels across state lines would also be beneficial.
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