While Sonoma County educational performance ranks favorably to comparable regions in some categories, educational trends show that there is still much room for improvement. So says a report by The Sonoma County Economic Development Board, which also concludes that narrowing the educational achievement gaps among ethnic groups remains a pronounced challenge.
Among the most disturbing finds was, that of the students that enter the ninth grade in Sonoma County roughly 25 percent will not graduate with a diploma in four years. Additionally, the average eligibility of high school students for UC/CSU college admission throughout the county is at a 10-year low.
Some of the report’s other findings included:
Class size. Sonoma County’s average class sizes for core subjects have been consistently smaller than the state averages. During the 2009 school year, the average class size for Sonoma County students taking math was 24.8 (down from 24.9 in 2008); 26.8 for science (down from 27.4); 27 for social science (down from 27.7); and 23.9 for English (down from 24.9). Among peer counties, only Marin’s class size averages are below Sonoma County in every area.
Dropout Rate. Sonoma County’s dropout rate in the 2007-2008 school year (16.6 percent) is slightly lower than the California average (18.9 percent). Over the years, Sonoma County has consistently had a dropout rate lower than the California average.
Students who drop out of high school are significantly less likely to obtain stable employment with an income capable of sustaining the cost of living in Sonoma County. Roughly one-fourth of the students that enter the ninth grade in the Sonoma County school district will not graduate with a diploma in four years.
Testing Trends. Every school district in Sonoma County except Healdsburg Unified exceeded the statewide high school exit exam pass rate in both Math and English/Language Arts in the 20082009 school year. However, a significant achievement gaps exist among ethnic groups. The overall pass rate for Sonoma County was 71 percent in both subjects, 8 percentage points higher than the California average. Performance decreased, however, from 2008. The countywide pass rates in 2009 were the lowest since 2006.
College Readiness. The average eligibility of high school students for UC/CSU college admission throughout the county decreased from 35.1 percent in 2007 to 26.2 percent in
2008. This figure marks the lowest average eligibility in the county over the past decade.
The number of Hispanic students eligible for UC/CSU admission dropped from 22.7 percent in 2005 to 13.4 percent in 2008, the lowest mark in a decade.
SAT Scores. Sonoma County students averaged higher on the SATs (Scholastic Aptitude Test) than both the state and national averages. With exception to Roseland Elementary and Cloverdale, all of the school districts in Sonoma County averaged above the state and national average for 2008. Sonoma County students average ACT (American College Test) scores averages remained relatively unchanged, but still well above state and national levels.
English Learners. The percentage of English learners in Sonoma County remained at 23.4 percent for 2008 and 2009, after increasing from 22.9 percent in 2007. Sonoma County has seen its percentage of English learners increase by nearly 80 percent over the past decade. Sonoma County’s percentage of English Language Learners is growing just below the state average of 24.2 percent. By district, Roseland Elementary has the highest percent of English Language Learners (64.9 percent), followed by Healdsburg Unified
(37.7 percent) and Sonoma Valley (32.9 percent).
