Not unpleased, but ‘we can do better,’ official says.
By: Lea Kahn
Lawrence High School students spent more time in class than high schoolers statewide last year, and also had a higher graduation rate than the state average for the Class of 2002.
More Lawrence High School students sat down for the SAT and had average scores that were higher than their counterparts statewide last year.
But the percentage of students who dropped out of school or who were suspended for infractions at Lawrence High School was higher than the statewide average.
All of that information and more is contained on the annual report card for each public school in New Jersey, released last week by the state Department of Education.
Reflecting on the overall results of the annual school report card, schools Assistant Superintendent Bruce McGraw said that while school district officials are not satisfied, they are not unhappy.
"Can we do better? You bet, and we should," Dr. McGraw said.
Dr. McGraw was not concerned about the dropout rate at Lawrence High School, which was 3.3 percent for 2001-02. The statewide average was 2.7 percent. There were no dropouts at the high school in the 2000-01 school year, and less than 1 percent quit school during the 1999-2000 school year.
"A ‘dropout’ is defined as a student who leaves the high school and who does not attend another school," he said. "It could be a student who goes to work or who decides to get a GED (high school equivalency diploma) instead."
Dr. McGraw said he is not concerned because he could not discern a pattern based on one year’s results. He pointed out that in dealing with a small number of students who are 16 years old and who can legally quit school, fluctuations in the percentage are not unusual.
Last year, 19.6 percent of LHS students were handed suspensions. This compares with a statewide average of 14.2 percent at the high school level. Dr. McGraw attributed the greater number of suspensions to the crowded conditions at the high school and the resultant need to keep tighter control on the students.
"Tighter controls have to be in place when you have as many students as we do (at the high school)," Dr. McGraw said. "You need more strenuous applications of rules when you have a crowded situation. You have lots of students in a very small space, and you have to maintain control."
Lawrence High School has an enrollment of 1,368 students in a school that held approximately 700 students when it was built in the 1960s. Dr. McGraw said the high school is rated to hold 1,076 students according to state guidelines. The recently adopted bond referendum provides money to expand the high school, which handles students in grades 9-12.
Students spent seven hours in school at the high school, as compared to six hours and 49 minutes statewide. But there were more students per teacher at LHS than the average statewide 14.3 students per teacher as compared to the statewide average of 11.5 to 1.
Academically, LHS students scored higher on the SAT than the average score statewide last year. At LHS, the average math score on the SAT was 541 and the average verbal score was 532. The statewide average was 514 for the math section and 495 for the verbal.
And 98.1 percent of high school seniors in the Class of 2002 graduated. The statewide graduation average was 97.9 percent for last year’s crop of high school seniors.
The average administrator in the Lawrence school district earned a salary of $96,737 last year, compared to the statewide median of $92,904. The average teacher’s salary was $50,270, compared to the state median of $50,147.
The Lawrence school district spent $9,096 per student for 2001-02, which was less than the statewide average cost of $9,812 per pupil.
Districtwide, all of the computers in the classrooms, the school libraries and the computer labs are wired for Internet access. Statewide, 92 percent of the computers in the classrooms, 96.8 percent in the libraries and 97 percent in the computer labs are hooked up to the Internet.
There are also more computers per student in the seven district schools than the statewide average. The statewide average is 4.7 students per computer in grades K-8 and 4 students per computer in grades 9-12. But in the Lawrence schools, it varies from as little as 2.3 students per computer in grades K-8 depending on the school and the enrollment to 3.4 students per computer in grades 9-12.
At the Lawrence Middle School, which houses grades 7 and 8, the average class size was 24.6 students. Statewide, it was 20.4 students. The middle school has an enrollment of 591 students. There were 11.1 students per teacher at LMS. The statewide average was 12.3 students per teacher.
The school day at LMS was seven hours, compared to six hours and 26 minutes statewide.
More LMS eighth-graders scored proficient or advanced proficient on the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment, a state-administered standardized test, than their counterparts statewide.
On the language arts literacy portion of the test, 87.3 percent of eighth-graders scored proficient or advanced proficient, as compared to 82.7 percent statewide. On the math test, 78.4 percent scored proficient or advanced proficient at LMS. Statewide, it was 66.6 percent. In science, 94.2 percent scored proficient or advanced proficient, compared to 82.3 percent statewide.
The Lawrence Intermediate School houses 898 students in grades 4-6. The average class size was 22.8 students last year, as compared to 20.6 students statewide. However, the student/teacher ratio was slightly less than the state average 12.1 students per teacher at LIS, and 12.3 students per teacher statewide.
The school day was seven hours long, compared to the state average of six hours and 26 minutes.
A greater percentage of LIS fourth-graders scored proficient or advanced proficient on the state-mandated Elementary School Proficiency Test than did their counterparts statewide last year.
On the language arts literacy segment, 88.5 percent of LIS fourth-graders scored proficient or advanced proficient. Statewide, 86.3 percent of fourth-graders scored proficient or advanced proficient. On the math portion, 76.6 percent of fourth-graders scored proficient or advanced proficient at LIS, as compared to 74.2 percent statewide.
At the elementary school level, the district’s four K-3 schools had smaller class sizes than the statewide average of 20.4 students. The number of students per teacher also was lower in three of the four Lawrence elementary schools than the statewide average.
At the Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, the average class size was 15.5 students. At the Eldridge Park School, it was 15.8 students. The Lawrenceville Elementary School had an average class size of 17.5 students and at Slackwood Elementary School, it was 16.6 students.
Enrollment ranges from 341 students at the Benjamin Franklin Elementary School to 213 students at the Eldridge Park School, 272 students at the Lawrenceville Elementary School and 284 at the Slackwood Elementary School.
Although the statewide average is 12.3 students per teacher, at the Eldridge Park School there were 10.9 students per teacher. At the Lawrenceville Elementary School, there were 10.8 students per teacher and at the Slackwood Elementary School, the ratio was nine students per teacher. But the ratio was 14.3 students per teacher at the Benjamin Franklin Elementary School.
The elementary school students in Lawrence have a shorter school day than the statewide average. Elementary school students are in school for six hours and 20 minutes six minutes less than the statewide average of six hours and 26 minutes.

