10 Teachers in 10 Years
In the last 10 years, the median INDEX Student:Teacher ratio dropped from 9 students per teacher to 8.3 students per teacher. This doesn’t sound like much, until you convert that to actual teachers. For a school with 1000 students, this drop represents an additional 10 teachers. At today’s average teacher salary of $71,000, this translates into an additional $710,000. Data from INDEX Portal.
10% Increase in Student Attrition
Year-over-year the median number of student attrits has increased 10%. The mix behind this is telling, with more Lower School students leaving and fewer Middle Schoolers leaving. At the end of last school year (2019-20), 22% more Lower School (K-5) students and 8% fewer Middle School (6-8) students chose to leave than in the prior year. Data from INDEX Portal.
1st Drop in AP Test Takers in 7 Years
The percentage of students taking an AP exam fell last year – the first drop in 7 years. In 2012-13, a median of 39% of Upper School students took at least one AP exam, and this percentage climbed every year, reaching a high of 46% in 2018-19. Last year, 2019-20, this percentage dropped to 44%. This may be due to COVID but definitely a trend worth keeping an eye on. Data from INDEX Portal.
10% Increase in Admissions Applications
An INDEX Admissions Survey, administered in mid-January, shows an average 10% year-over-year increase in admissions applications, with Elementary Schools leading the charge at +14%. The strongest growth is in the Southeast (+33%) and the weakest in the Midwest (-7%).
1% Decrease in Financial Aid Applications
The same Admissions Survey shows an average YOY decrease in Financial Aid Applications of 1% (basically flat.) The biggest average decline was in the Elementary Schools (-9%), which is interesting, since this group saw the largest increase in applications. The Southeast saw the biggest increase (+5%) and the Midwest the biggest decrease (-7%) in FA Applications.