Well, it’s better than getting a “C,” right? Barely. U.S. schools earned an underwhelming B- on their latest “student report card.”
Of the 2,100-plus students surveyed, only a quarter handed out As while more than one-third marked their schools with a “C” or lower on the latest Walton Family Foundation-Gallup Student Report Card.
“At a time where we need an education experience to be anything but average, we continue to see students give their schools neutral scores on the metrics that matter most,” said Stephanie Marken, Gallup’s senior partner for U.S. research.
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Schools received their lowest overall scores—a pair of C-plusses—for career preparedness and making students excited to learn. More specifically, schools were marked down for their efforts to help students choose careers and teach skills relevant to graduates’ future pursuits.
One in 10 students handed out an “F” for career prep and schools got more “D’s” and “F’s” than “A’s” when it came to generating enthusiasm for learning.
Low-income students—those eligible for free or reduced-price lunch at school—were the toughest graders, as they were much less likely than their higher-income classmates to give their school an “A.”
Low-income students handed their schools a 2.57 grade-point average, compared to the 2.90 GPA given by more affluent students. That gap was even wider in higher-income communities, the report notes.
Teachers fared better than schools, with two-thirds of students grading their relationships with teachers at a B or higher.
Here is how students graded their schools in other areas:
- Using technology in new and exciting ways to help students learn: B
- Teaching in ways that adapt to unique learning needs: C+
- Helping students succeed in core subjects such as math and English: B
- Quality of teaching: B-
- Teaching critical thinking and decision-making skills: B-
