BOISE, Idaho — Idaho’s Latino students are routinely left behind their peers in classrooms across the state, 6 On Your Side's Media Partners, Idaho Education News and the Idaho Statesmanreport.
But, data shows that disparity is more prevalent in some districts than in others.
Idaho Education News compared the standardized test scores (ISAT scores) for white students and Latino students to analyze whether students are learning math and English at an equal rate. The data shows that, in most school districts, far more white students are considered proficient in these subjects than their Latino and Hispanic peers. These maps illustrate that gap.
The darker the color on the map, the greater the gap between white and Latino students. Hover over a school district for more detailed information, and slide the bar in the top right corner to analyze data from different years.
For example, there was a 30 point gap between Latino and white student math proficiency in the McCall-Donnelly Joint School District and the Aberdeen School District. But Latino students make up about 10% of the student population in McCall, while they are about 61% of students in the Aberdeen School District.
Latino students are falling behind their peers in every school district in the Treasure Valley, but the gap is more prominent in school districts like Vallivue, Melba and Marsing. In the 2018-19 school year, about 52% of white students in the Vallivue district were considered proficient in math, state data shows, compared to about 30% of Latino students, resulting in a gap of more than 20 points.
That same gap was at least 25 percentage points in Melba and Marsing.
These maps were created with data provided by the Idaho State Department of Education and obtained via a public records request. Data was not available for districts with small student populations, as those scores are redacted to protect student privacy.
These maps are published as part of theLatino Listening Project, a collaboration between the Idaho Statesman and Idaho Education News. Reporters Sami Edge and Nicole Foy are working together to analyze Latino student achievement across the state.
To read the FULL article by Nicole Foy and Sami Edge, click here.
