It’s Not About the Money. It’s About the Kids – Page 6

Similar to the results demonstrated at district high schools on Page 5 of these posts, the per pupil costs at regional high schools are a reflection of the size of the student body.

Regional High Schools

                                      Enrollment        Teacher Ratio      Per Pupil Cost

Exeter-W Greenwich Reg HS        500                  12 : 1                     $22,664

Mt. Hope Reg HS                           889                  14 : 1                     $19,329

Ponaganset Reg HS                        665                  12 : 1                     $23,528

Consider the comparative data of the three smaller regional schools in this study.

Regional schools that are central to large geographic areas sometimes see their per pupil costs increased because of transportation needs (in addition to equipment for hands-on programs.)  

For example, both Exeter/West Greenwich Regional and Ponaganset Regional are located in western Rhode Island, which is more rural, while Mt. Hope Regional is located within two suburban communities, where the student population is denser and in closer proximity.

Nevertheless, a comparison of the per pupil costs reflects the impact of the size of the student enrollment.

The two smaller schools (enrollments of 500 and 665) show much higher costs ($22,664 and $23,528 respectively) while the per pupil cost at the larger school (889) is lower ($19,329).

Clearly, even with the added element of transportation costs, etc., the per pupil costs at a larger school benefit from a higher number of students per teacher (14:1) while the smaller schools require proportionately more teachers per student (12:1).

Tomorrow’s data will compare schools – district and regional – where Career & Technical programs are located on campus.