Vital Stats

Fiscal Year 2014

What Characteristics Set Appalachian Ohio Apart?

  • Appalachian Ohio covers 39% of Ohio’s total geographic area.
  • The number of inhabitants per square mile is one-third that of the State average.
  • Unemployment in most Ohio Appalachian counties is higher than the state and national
  • average.
  • The average percent of Ohio Appalachian School pupils in families receiving Ohio Works
  • First (OWF) is nearly 60% higher than the state average.
  • Per capita income is more than $7,100 less in Appalachia than the Ohio average.
  • Appalachian children are 25% more likely to be poor; nearly 20% of Appalachian children live in poverty..
  • 9 of Ohio’s 10 largest geographic school districts are in Appalachia. These 9 school districts total 3,583 square miles.
  • 19 of the 20 Ohio counties with the highest poverty rates are in Appalachia
  • Local property evaluation per pupil is over $24,000 below state average.
  • Expenditures per pupil are over $1000 per year below state average.
  • 16 of Ohio Appalachian counties are classified as “distressed/at risk” by the Appalachian Regional Commission.
  • The average annual teacher salary in Ohio Appalachian school districts is almost $7,000 less than the state average

Fiscal Year 2010 Vital Statistics

COMPILED BY THE COALITION OF RURAL AND APPALACHIAN SCHOOLS
314B McCRACKEN HALL OHIO UNIVERSITY ATHENS, OHIO

This document provides important comparative data to school leaders and others throughout the 32 Ohio counties designated in federal legislation as “Appalachia” as well as data for four neighboring counties. In total 163 school districts are represented in these statistics.

It is noteworthy that the gap in the first three of the following areas increased significantly from the 2008 report:

1. The gap between Ohio and Appalachian districts Average Per Pupil Expenditure is $1,193, an increase of $689 from the previous year average.

2. The gap between Ohio and Appalachian districts Average Per Pupil Revenue is $952 an increase of $534 from the previous year average.

3.The gap between Ohio and Appalachian districts Average Teachers Salaries is $8,100.

4.The gap between Ohio and Appalachian districts Average Property Valuation Per Pupil is $33,144.

Please click on the link below to access vital statistics for the 2009-10 school year. Special thanks to Lori Spencer for compiling this information for member school districts.

Fiscal Year 2008 Vital Statistics

Introduction

This compilation of Vital Statistics for member school districts is a service provided annually by the Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools. This document provides important comparative data to school leaders and others throughout the 29 Ohio counties designated in federal legislation as “Appalachian.”

The 2008 edition of Vital Statistics provides comparative data on 12 factors for the 127 Appalachian school districts grouped by counties. The mean is listed for eleven factors (median is used for income per state return 2006) for 609 (three island districts and College Corners are outliers and not included in this report) school districts in Ohio, including the 127 Appalachian districts in this report. Highs and lows for school districts in the 29 Ohio Appalachian counties are also shown.

Four factors in the 2008 “Vital Statistics” are worthy of additional discussion:

  1. The gap between Ohio and Appalachian districts Average Per Pupil Expenditure is $504, with a gap range up to $2250 below the state average.
  2. The gap between Ohio and Appalachian districts Average Per Pupil Revenue is $418, with a gap range up to $2029 below the state average.
  3. The gap between Ohio and Appalachian districts Average Teachers Salaries is $4,530, with a gap range up to $19,230 below the state average.
  4. The gap between Ohio and Appalachian districts Average Property Valuation Per Pupil is $35,447, with a gap range up to $95,982 below the state average.

To put the above figures in perspective, consider the following:

  • There are school children in Ohio’s rural Appalachian region receiving a $7,056 education, while the state average (not the most expensive) per pupil expenditure is $9,216. (EFM Expenditure Flow Model) The $2250 shortfall translates into $45,000 less annually per classroom of 20 students, or over $2,250,000 less annually for a school district with 1000 students, than the state average.
  • There are school districts in Ohio’s rural Appalachian region with local property valuation per pupil as low as $38,229, while the state average (not the highest) is $134,211. These numbers illustrate the lack of ability for some local communities to raise revenue to support education for their school children.
  • There are school districts in Ohio’s rural Appalachian region with average annual teacher salaries as low as $31,431, while the state average (not the highest paid) teachers salary is $50,661. The $19,230 less annually translates into $576,900 in less income for those teachers over a 30-year career. In addition, it makes it much more difficult for Ohio Appalachian school districts to recruit and retain teachers.

As in past years, there is considerable variation between school districts in Ohio Appalachian counties and the state as a whole. Some very significant differences emerge when state and Appalachian means (median for income per state return 2006) are compared. School districts in the Ohio Appalachian counties average 1132 fewer pupils; families average earnings are nearly $5,300 less per state income tax return; and Ohio Appalachian school districts average percent of pupils in families receiving Ohio Works First (OWF) [poverty program] is nearly 60 percent higher than the state average. The Appalachian school districts have slightly lower student attendance than the Ohio average. The student dropout rate in the 29 Appalachian counties is 7 per cent higher than the state average.

The data presented in this report is provided by the Ohio Department of Education through the courtesy of Dr. Jim Payton. Lori Spencer compiled and entered the data. The Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools expresses appreciation to both Dr. Payton and Mrs. Spencer for their work on this report.

Richard Fisher
Executive Director
Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools May 2009

Fiscal Year 1999 – 2007 Vital Statistics