Public education in Rhode Island

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K-12 education in Rhode Island
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Education facts
State superintendent:
Angélica Infante-Green
Number of students:
131,835
Number of teachers:
9,743
Teacher/pupil ratio:
1:13.5
Number of school districts:
34
Number of schools:
271
Graduation rate:
84%
Per-pupil spending:
$16,857
See also
Rhode Island Department of Education • List of school districts in Rhode Island • Rhode Island • School boards portal
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Public education in the United States
Public education in Rhode Island
Glossary of education terms
Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of June 2015.


The Rhode Island public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, Rhode Island had 131,835 students enrolled in a total of 271 schools in 34 school districts. There were 9,743 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 14 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, Rhode Island spent on average $16,857 per pupil.[1] The state's graduation rate was 84 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.[2]

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Rhode Island compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Public education in Rhode Island
State Schools Districts Students Teachers Teacher to pupil ratio Per pupil spending*
Rhode Island 271 34 131,835 9,743 1:13.5 $16,857
United States 90,323 13,194 47,755,383 2,783,705 1:16 $13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020.
Sources:

Education statistics in the United States
U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020"
National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

Academic performance

BP-Initials-UPDATED.png The sections below do not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.

Education terms
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For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
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School board elections portal
Glossary of education terms
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire), Rhode Island has the smallest share of students score at or above proficient in all categories.[3]

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
Math - Grade 4 Math - Grade 8 Reading - Grade 4 Reading - Grade 8
Rhode Island 42% 36% 38% 36%
Connecticut 45% 37% 43% 45%
Massachusetts 58% 55% 47% 48%
New Hampshire 59% 47% 45% 44%
United States 41% 34% 34% 34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Rhode Island and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.[3][4][5]

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.[6]

Rhode Island schools reported a graduation rate of 79.7 percent, lowest among its neighboring states.

In Rhode Island, more students took the SAT than the ACT, earning an average score of 1468.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State Graduation rate, 2013 Average ACT composite, 2013 Average SAT composite, 2013
Percent Quintile ranking** Score Participation rate Score Participation rate
Rhode Island 79.7% Fourth 22.7 14% 1468 72%
Connecticut 85.5% Second 24 27% 1532 85%
Massachusetts 85% Second 24.1 22% 1553 83%
New Hampshire 87.3% First 23.8 19% 1567 70%
United States 81.4% 20.9 54% 1498 50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally.
Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express"
ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores"
The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Rhode Island was higher than the national average at 5.2 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 4.2 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[7]

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Rhode Island

School choice options in Rhode Island included charter schools, a school choice tax incentive program and an inter-district open enrollment policy. In addition, about 16.27 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
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Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot
See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.[8]

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.[9]

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Rhode Island is not one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.


Education funding and expenditures

See also: Rhode Island state budget and finances
Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.[10][11]

Rhode Island spent approximately 14.9 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. School system revenue came primarily from local funds. Rhode Island spent the second highest percentage of its total budget on public education when compared to its neighboring states.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State Percentage of budget Per pupil spending Revenue sources
Percent federal funds Percent state funds Percent local funds
Rhode Island 14.9% $14,415 8.6% 37.2% 54.2%
Connecticut 14.1% $16,631 4.3% 38.3% 57.4%
Massachusetts 11.2% $14,515 5.1% 40.2% 54.7%
New Hampshire 23.4% $13,721 5.7% 35.5% 58.8%
United States 19.8% $10,700 9.1% 45.6% 45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8).
U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.[11]

In Rhode Island, the primary source of school system revenue was local funding during fiscal year 2013, at $1.2 billion. Rhode Island reported the lowest total public education revenue when compared to its neighboring states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State Federal revenue State revenue Local revenue Total revenue
Rhode Island $193,393 $841,875 $1,226,290 $2,261,558
Connecticut $434,543 $3,870,444 $5,801,990 $10,106,977
Massachusetts $818,054 $6,428,534 $8,732,961 $15,979,549
New Hampshire $163,890 $1,020,089 $1,691,687 $2,875,666
United States $54,367,305 $272,916,892 $270,645,402 $597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.[12]

Public education expenditures in Rhode Island totaled approximately $2.3 billion in fiscal year 2012. Rhode Island reported the lowest total public education expenditures when compared to its neighboring states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State General expenditures Capital outlay Other Total expenditures
Rhode Island $2,167,450 $36,926 $113,513 $2,317,889
Connecticut $9,344,999 $680,346 $280,432 $10,305,777
Massachusetts $14,151,659 $1,117,723 $302,920 $15,572,302
New Hampshire $2,643,256 $159,997 $52,826 $2,856,080
United States $527,096,473 $48,773,386 $25,897,123 $601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States
Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.[13]

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Rhode Island, the average salary decreased by 1.3 percent.[14]

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
1999-2000 2009-2010 2011-2012 2012-2013 Percent difference
Rhode Island $64,286 $63,711 $63,221 $63,474 -1.3%
Connecticut $70,762 $68,690 $70,621 $69,766 -1.4%
Massachusetts $63,656 $73,945 $72,915 $73,129 14.9%
New Hampshire $51,567 $54,912 $55,079 $55,599 7.8%
U.S. totals]] $57,133 $58,925 $56,340 $56,383 -1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: Rhode Island Department of Education

The Rhode Island Department of Education oversees K-12 education in the state. The chief administrative officer of the Rhode Island Department of Education is the Commissioner of Education. The Commissioner of Education is appointed by the Rhode Island Board of Education. Deborah Gist was appointed to the position in 2009.[15]

The Rhode Island Board of Education governs all public education in the state. The board is composed of 11 members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state senate.[16]

Unions

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Rhode Island ranked fifth overall for union power and influence, or "strongest," which was in the first of five tiers.[17]

The main unions related to the Rhode Island school system are the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers (RIFT) and NEA Rhode Island (NEARI), an affliate of the National Education Association (NEA). NEARI is the largest education association in the state. For the 2003 tax period NEARI had: $3.49 million in total revenue, $3.22 million in total expenses and $4.45 million in total assets.[18] For the same period, RIFT had: $1.96 million in total revenue, $1.81 million in total expenses and $727,960 in total assets.[19]

List of local Rhode Island school unions:[20]

Government sector lobbying

See also: Rhode Island government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Rhode Island Association of School Committees.

Transparency

Rhode Island maintains a Transparency Portal, which includes financial records and personnel statements for at least 15 government departments. The Department of Education provides information pertaining projects, teacher pensions, scholarships, loans and grants.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

  1. Chance for success
  2. K-12 achievement
  3. Standards, assessments and accountability
  4. The teaching profession
  5. School finance
  6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Rhode Island received a score of 79.7, or a B- average in the "chance for success" category. This was above the national average. The state's highest score was in "school finance" at 86.5, or a B average. The lowest score was in "K-12 achievement" at 69.3, or a D+ average. Rhode Island had the lowest score in "K-12 achievement" when compared to neighboring states. The chart below displays the scores of Rhode Island and its surrounding states.[21]

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State Chance for success K-12 achievement Standards, assessments and accountability The teaching profession School finance Transitions and alignment
Rhode Island 79.7 (B-) 69.3 (D+) 85.1 (B) 71.1 (C-) 86.5 (B) 78.6 (C+)
Connecticut 87.5 (B+) 72.4 (C-) 78.6 (C+) 70.8 (C-) 86.8 (B+) 78.6 (C+)
Massachusetts 91.4 (A-) 83.7 (B) 88.4 (B+) 78.7 (C+) 83.5 (B) 75.0 (C)
New Hampshire 88.0 (B+) 78.8 (C+) 76.0 (C) 63.9 (D) 81.4 (B-) 78.6 (C+)
United States 77.3 (C+) 70.2 (C-) 85.3 (B) 72.5 (C) 75.5 (C) 81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014"

A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

Rhode Island contains several types of school districts. The most prevalent are regular school districts, which provide K-12 courses in a single municipality. Regional school districts operate K-12 schools across multiple municipalities. Rhode Island also contains state-operated schools, which operate branches throughout the state.[22]

School board composition

Rhode Island school board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, although some school board members are appointed to school committees by mayors and city councils. School board elections typically select board members on an at-large basis, allowing all residents living in the school district to vote for any board candidates on the ballot.[23]

School boards can consists of five, seven or nine members. Board members serve four-year terms, which are often staggered every two years.

Term limits

Rhode Island does not impose statewide term limits on school board members. However, terms limits on school board members can still be imposed on the local level.[23]

Elections

See also: Rhode Island school board elections, 2024

No Rhode Island school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2024.

Our coverage scope for local elections continues to grow, and you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what school board elections we are covering in your area.


Path to the ballot

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate in Rhode Island, a person must be:[24]

  • 18 years of age or older
  • A resident of the school district at the time of the election

Candidates file their Declarations of Candidacy with the local board of canvassers. Each candidate must also file nomination papers with a minimum number of valid signatures as determined by the local board.[24]

Campaign finance

State law requires school board candidates to file campaign finance reports with the Rhode Island State Board of Elections. Two reports are required prior to primary elections and general elections and candidates also file one post-election report per election.[24]

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Rhode Island state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.


Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Rhode Island ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

  1. Rhode Island Question 2, Higher Education Facilities Bonds (1998)
  2. Rhode Island Higher Education Bonds, Question 4 (2000)
  3. Rhode Island Question 5, Higher Education Residence Hall Bonds (2004)
  4. Rhode Island Capital Bonds for Higher Education Question, Question 2 (2010)
  5. Rhode Island Question 4, School Bonds (2004)
  6. Rhode Island Question 4, Higher Education Bonds Act (2006)
  7. Rhode Island Higher Education Bonds Question, Question 3 (2012)
  8. Rhode Island Higher Education Facilities Bonds, Question 4 (2014)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Rhode Island education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in Rhode Island - Google News

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020," May 18, 2022
  2. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates," accessed September 28, 2022
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
  4. ↑ ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
  5. ↑ Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
  6. ↑ StudyPoints, "What's a good SAT score or ACT score?" accessed June 7, 2015
  7. ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Dropout and Graduation Rate Data File, School Year 2010-11, Provision Version 1a and School Year 2011-12, Preliminary Version 1a," accessed May 13, 2014
  8. ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue: "Petition for a writ of certiorari," accessed July 3, 2019
  9. ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, decided June 30, 2020
  10. ↑ NASBO, "State Expenditure Report," accessed July 2, 2015
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports," accessed July 2, 2015
  12. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)," accessed July 2, 2015
  13. ↑ Maciver Institute, "REPORT: How much are teachers really paid?" accessed October 29, 2014
  14. ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 211.60. Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by state: Selected years, 1969-70 through 2012-13," accessed May 13, 2014
  15. ↑ Rhode Island Department of Education, "Inside RIDE," accessed June 4, 2014
  16. ↑ Rhode Island Department of Education, "Board of Education," accessed June 4, 2014
  17. ↑ Thomas E Fordham Institute, " How Strong Are U.S. Teacher Unions? A State-By-State Comparison," October 29, 2012
  18. ↑ Center for Union Facts, "NEA Rhode Island," accessed September 16, 2009
  19. ↑ Center for Union Facts, "Rhode Island Federation of Teachers," accessed September 16, 2009
  20. ↑ Center for Union Facts, "State of Rhode Island," accessed September 16, 2009 (dead link) (dead link)
  21. ↑ Education Week "Quality Counts 2014," accessed February 19, 2015
  22. ↑ Rhode Island Department of Education, "School Districts," accessed July 10, 2014
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Rhode Island Association of School Committees, "Guidelines for School Committee Members," accessed July 10, 2014
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Rhode Island How to Run for Office 2014," accessed July 9, 2014
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