How is your school doing? Morris District report cards are here

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Want to see how your child’s school stacks up against others in Morris County and across the state?

Just click the “School Report Card” button on our home page  to find statistics on every school in the Morris School DistrictMorristownGreen.com is pleased to present these numbers in cooperation with our friends at NJ Spotlight.

nj spotlight school report card“You can do a snapshot of your school. The point of the whole thing is to provide an easy way to show the things you want to show,” says John Mooney, NJ Spotlight founding editor and former education reporter for The Star-Ledger.

The charts, compiled from state Department of Education data from 2008-2009–the most recent figures available–compare scores on proficiency tests, including SAT scores. They also show where schools and districts stand in terms of class sizes and per-pupil spending.

For example, the Morris District classroom expenditure of $9, 797 per student exceeds the state average of $8,020. When administration, support, operations, food services and extracurriculars are added, the district spends $19,843 per pupil, compared with $15,168 as the state average.

What does that money buy?

At Morristown High School, it buys smaller class sizes for every grade level except 12th grade. The average class size for seniors is 22.7 students; the state average is 20.2.

MHS students fare better in math (the High School Proficiency Assessment) than the state average, with 82 percent rated as “advanced proficient” or “proficient” compared with about 74 percent statewide.

However, MHS slightly lags schools in its socio-economic peer group; 84 percent of students in schools of similar wealth score in the “advanced proficient” or “proficient” categories in math.

But when it comes to the SATs,  MHS beats its peers and the state, averaging 543 on the verbal portion, 548 in math, and 534 in writing.

Statistics for the Unity Charter School in Morris Township are here; Morris Plains schools are here.

Of course, numbers never tell the whole story.

“Does a batting average say everything about a baseball player?  No. But it gives you a good idea,” John says.

“These are the key measurements of a quality school. Are they perfect? No. Should you be asking more questions?  Yes. If you’re not doing well against your peers, then you should be asking questions.”

morristown high school
Morristown High School gets good SAT grades on the New Jersey School Report Card, compiled by NJ Spotlight. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

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