This is a tale of 54,041 high school diplomas. That’s the number of public high school diplomas awarded in Tennessee last year (2006-2007). There are 324 public high schools in Tennessee. The public high schools are operated by 119 public school systems. There are 137 public school systems in Tennessee, but only 119 of them operate high schools.
I got curious this week about tracking down median ACT scores for Public vs. Private vs. Homeschool high school graduates. It turns out, even in the age of public data on the internet that this is not an easy question to answer. If the data to answer this question already exists somewhere on the internet, it’s extraordinarily well hidden. I spent several days searching for it… and I’m pretty handy with google. I did discover a blog in Kentucky which contained interesting articles commenting on the meaning of median ACT scores released for that state. Kentucky’s scores, released by ACT, Inc. of Iowa, give the median for ALL high school seniors, public, private, and homeschool. From the ACT data alone, you cannot tell how the public schools are performing, because ACT will not disagregate the data. Tennessee ACT scores are released in the same format as Kentucky.
But, it turns out, in Tennessee at least, there is a way to calculate median ACT score for the public schools. And if we know the number of public school students who took the ACT, and their median score, then we can calculate the median score for the remaining non-public school students.
In 2007, the median ACT for all students in Tennessee taking the test was 20.7. This is slightly below ( a half a point) the national ACT median score of 21.2. A half a point difference between two individual scores is probably not terribly significant. There are too many variables that can’t be controlled between two individual scores to ever be able to know why one student scored a half a point higher than another. BUT, comparing the median scores of two significantly sized groups IS meaningful… because all the individual variations offset and cancel each other out. 48,113 students took the ACT in Tennessee in 2007. 1,300,599 students took it nationwide. Comparing the averages for those two very large populations does tell us, with a pretty high degree of confidence, that Tennessee students did not perform quite as well as the national average.
But those 48,113 Tennessee students include public school, high school, and homeschool students. I have an inquiry in to ACT, Inc. asking them for the disaggregated data for those three groups, but they haven’t responded to me. The data would be very helpful in discussing some pretty pressing public policy questions about education. I don’t think it’s an accident that ACT doesn’t make the data readily available. I have the feeling that the data are not very flattering to public school administrators. And I suspect that’s why ACT hasn’t made them available.
But in Tennessee, there is another source of data about public school ACT scores – the Tennessee Department of Education itself. The Department has an online database that reports the number of students who took the ACT and the median composite score by school system. Actually, the online database has a great deal more information than that, but the median composite ACT scores are what I was interested in.
I don’t know whether it’s intentional or not, but the Tennessee DOE does not report the statewide median ACT score, nor does it make it easy to calculate, but all the pieces are there, on their website – they just have to be assembled.
So, I spent about four or five hours today, using the free wifi at University Pizza & Deli in Chattanooga, to pull up and copy off the median composite ACT scores for all 119 public high school systems in Tennessee. 35,725 public school students (out of 54,041 who graduate) too the ACT in 2007 – about 66.1% of the graduates. The median composite ACT score for all of them was 20.30. Since there were a total of 48,113 students who took the ACT in Tennessee, we can subtract out the public school students and the remaining 12,388 students were non-public school (private schools and home schools). And since we know the median composite ACT score for ALL students in Tennessee was 20.7 and the median for the PUBLIC school students was 20.30, we can calculate what the median composite score for the non-public schools was: that median composite ACT score in 2007 was 21.85.
So, we can now end the speculation and report with confidence that in 2007, in Tennessee, ALL students averaged a 20.7 composite ACT score, PUBLIC SCHOOL students averaged a 20.30 composite ACT score, and PRIVATE SCHOOL students averaged 21.85 composite ACT score. In other words, in 2007 private schools and home schools averaged 1.15 points higher on the ACT than the public schools. But of course, it’s the private school diplomas that the Department of Education thinks are suspect.
Since I had to compile the data for all 119 systems in a spreadsheet, I’ll post all of the data here – so that others can check my calculations, and so that the data will be available to everyone interested.
There are a number of other interesting observations about the public high schools that can be made from the data.
For example, here are the 10 public school systems in Tennessee with the HIGHEST median composite ACT scores:
TENNESSEE | REGULAR | % TAKING | 2007 ACT Composite | ||
SCHOOL SYSTEM | DIPLOMAS | ACT | n | median | |
1 | Maryville City | 321 | 76.9% | 247 | 23.67 |
2 | Oak Ridge City | 321 | 68.8% | 221 | 23.53 |
3 | Kingsport City | 400 | 82.8% | 331 | 22.74 |
4 | Greenville City | 209 | 66.5% | 139 | 22.68 |
5 | Williamson Co. | 1,966 | 80.6% | 1,584 | 22.54 |
6 | Tullahoma City | 239 | 77.4% | 185 | 22.35 |
7 | Johnson City | 398 | 73.1% | 291 | 22.34 |
8 | Pickett Co. | 46 | 58.7% | 27 | 22.11 |
9 | Alcoa City | 107 | 74.8% | 80 | 22.01 |
10 | Knox Co. | 3,257 | 66.6% | 2,168 | 21.97 |
And here are the 10 public school systems with the LOWEST median composite ACT scores:
TENNESSEE | REGULAR | % TAKING | 2007 ACT Composite | ||
SCHOOL SYSTEM | DIPLOMAS | ACT | n | median | |
1 | Fayette Co. | 187 | 65.2% | 122 | 15.80 |
2 | Memphis City | 5,741 | 67.9% | 3,898 | 17.56 |
3 | Hancock Co. | 62 | 38.7% | 24 | 17.96 |
4 | Haywood Co. | 170 | 71.2% | 121 | 17.98 |
5 | Lake Co. | 51 | 70.6% | 36 | 18.11 |
6 | Grainger Co. | 241 | 53.1% | 128 | 18.41 |
7 | W. Carroll | 79 | 54.4% | 43 | 18.47 |
8 | Campbell Co. | 299 | 58.2% | 174 | 18.63 |
9 | Union Co. | 196 | 53.1% | 104 | 18.63 |
10 | Hardeman Co. | 234 | 56.0% | 131 | 18.66 |
Here are the Here are the 10 public school systems in Tennessee with the HIGHEST percentage of graduating seniors who take the ACT:
TENNESSEE | REGULAR | % TAKING | 2007 ACT Composite | ||
SCHOOL SYSTEM | DIPLOMAS | ACT | n | median | |
1 | McMinn Co. | 292 | 92.5% | 270 | 20.33 |
2 | Union City | 77 | 88.3% | 68 | 19.93 |
3 | Kingsport City | 400 | 82.8% | 331 | 22.74 |
4 | Williamson Co. | 1,966 | 80.6% | 1,584 | 22.54 |
5 | Bradford City | 41 | 80.5% | 33 | 19.18 |
6 | Oneida City | 83 | 79.5% | 66 | 20.58 |
7 | Shelby Co. | 2,561 | 78.5% | 2,010 | 21.72 |
8 | Madison Co. | 679 | 78.2% | 531 | 19.27 |
9 | Tullahoma City | 239 | 77.4% | 185 | 22.35 |
10 | Huntingdon City | 70 | 77.1% | 54 | 20.20 |
And here are the Here are the 10 public school systems in Tennessee with the LOWEST percentage of graduating seniors who take the ACT:
TENNESSEE | REGULAR | % TAKING | 2007 ACT Composite | ||
SCHOOL SYSTEM | DIPLOMAS | ACT | n | median | |
1 | Hancock Co. | 62 | 38.7% | 24 | 17.96 |
2 | Fentress Co. | 60 | 41.7% | 25 | 19.92 |
3 | Sequatchie Co. | 116 | 44.8% | 52 | 19.71 |
4 | Greene Co. | 488 | 45.7% | 223 | 20.06 |
5 | Trousdale Co. | 91 | 47.3% | 43 | 19.12 |
6 | Johnson Co. | 156 | 47.4% | 74 | 19.81 |
7 | Meigs Co. | 94 | 48.9% | 46 | 20.37 |
8 | Washington Co. | 656 | 50.8% | 333 | 20.68 |
9 | Bledsoe Co. | 102 | 51.0% | 52 | 20.73 |
10 | Jefferson Co. | 449 | 52.1% | 234 | 20.52 |
Here are the 10 public school systems in Tennessee with the LARGEST number of graduating seniors who take the ACT:
TENNESSEE | REGULAR | % TAKING | 2007 ACT Composite | ||
SCHOOL SYSTEM | DIPLOMAS | ACT | n | median | |
1 | Memphis City | 5,741 | 67.9% | 3,898 | 17.56 |
2 | Davidson Co. | 3,601 | 64.1% | 2,307 | 19.11 |
3 | Knox Co. | 3,257 | 66.6% | 2,168 | 21.97 |
4 | Shelby Co. | 2,561 | 78.5% | 2,010 | 21.72 |
5 | Rutherford Co. | 2,328 | 66.1% | 1,539 | 20.91 |
6 | Hamilton Co. | 2,322 | 68.0% | 1,580 | 19.60 |
7 | Williamson Co. | 1,966 | 80.6% | 1,584 | 22.54 |
8 | Sumner Co. | 1,691 | 62.9% | 1,063 | 20.81 |
9 | Montgomery Co. | 1,644 | 59.9% | 984 | 21.23 |
10 | Wilson Co. | 1,040 | 67.9% | 706 | 20.70 |
And here are the 10 public school systems in Tennessee with the SMALLEST number of graduating seniors who take the ACT:
TENNESSEE | REGULAR | % TAKING | 2007 ACT Composite | ||
SCHOOL SYSTEM | DIPLOMAS | ACT | n | median | |
1 | S. Carroll | 31 | 58.1% | 18 | 20.28 |
2 | Van Buren Co. | 37 | 62.2% | 23 | 18.83 |
3 | Richard City | 37 | 70.3% | 26 | 20.15 |
4 | Bradford City | 41 | 80.5% | 33 | 19.18 |
5 | Pickett Co. | 46 | 58.7% | 27 | 22.11 |
6 | Hollow Rock-Bruceton City | 47 | 57.4% | 27 | 20.22 |
7 | Lake Co. | 51 | 70.6% | 36 | 18.11 |
8 | Fentress Co. | 60 | 41.7% | 25 | 19.92 |
9 | Hancock Co. | 62 | 38.7% | 24 | 17.96 |
10 | Huntingdon City | 70 | 77.1% | 54 | 20.20 |
The only significant sized sample of homeschoolers with ACT scores that I could find were 1997, 1998, and 2004 data released by ACT (cited on the HSLDA website). ACT reported that in 1997, 1,926 homeschoolers had a median composite ACT score of 22.5. ACT reported that in 1998, 2,610 homeschoolers had a median composite ACT score of 22.8. ACT reported that in 2004, 7,858 homeschoolers had a median composite ACT score of 22.6. These data are remarkably consistent over time AND they are significantly ABOVE the national averages. But remember, according the the Tennessee Department of Education, it is the homeschooler’s diplomas that are suspect.
Now, don’t you feel like you know the public school system in Tennessee much better?
Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves. Comments encouraged and solicited. Once again: here is the data. Or should that be, “here ARE the data…”
– Rob Shearer
Director, Schaeffer Study Center
15 comments
Comments feed for this article
May 22, 2008 at 11:37 am
Eric Holcombe
The same old, lame excuses will be used to explain the higher scores in the private sector:
1) Not all of the private schools are Category IV or independent homeschoolers. They are probably the low end of the spectrum. No data available to prove.
2) The private schools can accept or reject whatever students they want, so they get all the “good” students (although the public system does not test all their students – the near exception being McMinn County who is getting it done on a shoestring budget compared to Memphis, et al).
3) The private schools don’t have to deal with broken homes, parents that don’t care, urban youth, etc., etc. Soft bigotry code speak for “they don’t have to deal with the black kids”. The skin pigment level excuse. Proven wrong by the private sector.
4) The private schools don’t have to deal with lower income, working poor, single parent, uneducated, etc. families. The income/education level excuse. Proven wrong by the private sector.
August 19, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Craig
If think a public school with 22% special ed, 50% free and reduced lunch and 36% non-English speaking students isn’t at a disadvantage to private schools, then let’s suit up University of Tennessee football team and play the Colts! Get real… by the way, school’s don’t test kids (ACT). Kids and parents decide whether to take it. In our school (public) 82% of seniors took the test, and some of them fit the categories mentioned. A better comparison would be the scores of the public kids whose families could afford the advance placement classes (tuition charged for them) vs. private school scores… our AP kids scored 23 average ACT, the kids who didn’t take AP classed averaged 20.7 (ACT does break that down, and public schools do have that data and share it)
Why don’t private schools share all the ACT data?
May 22, 2008 at 12:12 pm
The Tennessee ConserVOLiance
[…] To see the 10 public school systems in Tennessee with the HIGHEST ACT composite scores, the LOWEST ACT composite scores, the HIGHEST % of graduates taking the ACT and the LOWEST % of graduates taking the ACT, see the more detailed post at RedHatRob.wordpress.com […]
May 23, 2008 at 8:50 am
Charla
So, if the State chooses to use Eric’s “excuses”, then they are in effect saying the following:
1) They don’t want “good” students as government employees.
2) They don’t want employees with supportive families.
3) They don’t want employees from middle or upper income familes, or employees who grew up with both parents in the household, or employees with educated families, etc.
In my book there can only be one of two reasons for this twisted thinking:
1) They don’t want intelligent, self-thinkers in government positions, because they are the the intelligent elite and already have all the answers, or
2)They know that they are NOT the intelligent elite and don’t want any intelligent, self-thinkers in government positions who might expose their inabilities.
June 21, 2008 at 8:49 am
Retailer
Somehow i missed the point. Probably lost in translation 🙂 Anyway … nice blog to visit.
cheers, Retailer!!
July 10, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Homeschooling - Education - universities, high schools, elementary schools, teachers... - Page 27 - City-Data Forum
[…] much considering you're looking only at homeschool success stories by the time kids take the ACT. https://redhatrob.wordpress.com/2008/…ol-act-scores/ If they're in the top 10th to 20th percentile, what does that make private schools? Sorry, but non […]
November 17, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Catie
The better scores of non-public schoolers does not automatically give credibility to the home school or private school systems. Although my following statements are opinions, it would defy logic to argue otherwise. Both home school parents and private school parents put a huge value on education (any arguments?). Although there are likely exceptions, my guess is that the majority of home situations are above average for the private and home schooled kids. Either they have the luxury of money to pay for school, or have the luxury of having a parent stay home to teach (an argument would be that these are family sacrifices that are made that public school parents could make. That argument reinforces that these parents put a huge value on education). Has there ever been a study to see what the ratio of intact families send their kids to public, private, or home school? What’s your guess on what those ratios would look like? Does coming from a more privilieged socioeconomic background make for being a better student? Does coming from a background that puts an emphasis on education make for being a better student? Would these kids excel over their public school classmates if they were in public schools (you think they would do the same as these public school kids? Seriously?). With the advantages listed above, it’s a shame that these private/homeschooled kids only averaged a lousy 1.15 points higher on the ACT. You’d think by just the segregation (from other socioeconomics and attitudes toward education and discipline) alone would put their scores into the 25 range. And then add in the advantages of their own privilege. That has to be worth a few points as well. Just think what their scores could have been if allowed to be taught by credentialed teachers. It’s a shame. Is segregation that important? Enough to stifle your kids education by putting them into some private school that can’t even properly use the advantages that you bring to the table? 1.15 points? It’s a shame. Your kids should be in the 25, 30 or more range. Instead of hiding in homeschool or private school, be brave. Send your kid to public school and make change there. Your kid will always have the parents that value education. And your kid will still have the socioeconomic and familial advantages that you bring. If enough of the cream is in public school, and if pressure is applied to administrators to instill discipline, the synergy and resources will help to draw that 25, 30 or more out of your kid. As a segregationist, all you guys are striving for is beating what’s left in public school by a couple of points? Your kids deserve better than that! They also deserve to be prepared for the real world.
November 18, 2009 at 2:00 am
redhatrob
You make some good points. Clearly the advantages of family and parental involvement would be expected to yield improved test scores. I don’t think any individual parent is willing to settle for “a lousy 1.15” points. The statistics show the average for the populations. In part, I compiled them to refute the notion that homeschooled and/or private school students were inferior in their academic achievements to the public school population. That clearly is not the case – but it was precisely that position that was being argued by the Tennessee Department of Education. I don’t think the goal is segregation. The goal is achieving the best education for one’s own children. Would they do as well in public schools? perhaps. Am I more confident and more aware of how they’re doing by homeschooling? Of course.
I don’t think you’ve made a very persuasive case for why homeschoolers should put their children back into public schools. Can everybody homeschool their kids? Probably not – for a host of reasons. It takes commitment, time, & sacrifice. Most parents won’t want to. But all parents should have the option. And the point of the statistics is that the education received by homeschooled kids is not inferior to a public school education.
September 2, 2011 at 1:39 am
janelane
Not only that, but, intelligence begets intelligence. IQ is strongly associated with status and income. A person with a higher IQ is more likely to have intelligent children and the money to send them to private school.
April 28, 2010 at 1:48 am
Betty
SINCE YOU’RE GREAT AT LOOKING AT AVERAGING ALL THIS INFORMATION I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION FOR THE STUDENTS WHO TOOK THE TEST IN 2010. WE COME FROM A VERY POOR COUNTY AND FROM LOOKING AT THE STATS OUR SCHOOL DIDN’T DO VERY WELL. SO FOR MY INFO. I WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU COULD TRY. MY DAUGHTER TOOK IT DEC. 2009 AND SCORED 27, TOOK IT WHEN ALL JUNIOR WERE REQUIRED TO TAKE IT I THINK IT WAS SOMETIME IN MARCH AND SCORED A 28. JUST WONDERING HOW OTHER STUDENTS IN OUR COUNTY IN HER CLASS DID.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE GREAT INFO.
BETTY
August 19, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Craig
The disparity of scores between private an public schools isn’t as great as I would expect it to be. Some seem to think the that private schools’ catering to only those they want to accept and to more affluent families’ kids are “excuses.” Well, in my district, the public school deals with 22% special ed kids, 50% free and reduced lunch qualifying kids, 36% non-English speaking… You need to compare that with the private schools’ enrollment, and if you think that doesn’t make a difference in test scoring, you’re wrong (80% of our senior class takes the ACT, so that number obviously includes those students from the groups mentioned). By the way, our school’s ACT average last year was 24.3, this year it was 23.1 The private school in town: they wouldn’t report theirs… Hmmm
August 27, 2010 at 9:42 am
Arden
My husband is a Psychiatrist and tells me that a large number of his patients are homeschooled because of behavior problems. These kids have been kicked out of the public school system, even the alternative schools. The majority of these familys are on some type of public assistance. Most of these kids will never take the ACT but the same can be said of the special ed kids, non-English speekering, etc. in public schools.
Also I have friends who have children with problems severe enough to keep them out of all but alternative schools who choose to homeschool. Unfortunately the alternative schools tend to be very rough places. These children have learning disabilities but will definately take the ACT when the time comes.
My children are in private school (Christian) and we love it! There are some fantastic public schools in our area and may of our friends send their children there, that’s their choice. We have been blessed financially and will do what we feel is right for our children. As long as we pay our proberty taxes and don’t use the resorces you would think the public school people would be a little more tolerant!
April 8, 2012 at 6:56 am
Jay Muny
Creighton Prep on Omaha does, 26. They also heavily recruit kids from the inner city. Face it, when you remove the greedy teachers unions, the kids level of learing increases. Your 23.1 is shameful.
February 23, 2011 at 9:29 am
Ann Wells
Thank you Rob Shearer for taking the time to provide this information. I think the fact this information is NOT readily available speaks volumes! There are reasons the Department of Education and ACT does not openly share this information. We moved to our current residence six years ago and built our home on the sole purpose of getting our kids into what we were told was ” a great school”. Our oldest is a senior and for 6 years we have been told by our children the endless stories on teachers NOT teaching and the behavior problems in the classroom. Examples: the spanish teacher didn’t “feel” like teaching ..”her exact words to the class. She did not teach for 3 WEEKS straight. The football coach, who teachers Geography showed the students an “R” rated movie on Enron. He told the kids that he would send a note home to parents for permssion to view the video…it never came.) I have three daughters and this year we made a decision to pull our middle daughter out of public school and send to a private school. We were fed up with the quality of teaching and all the discipline problems that are constantly overlooked in the classroom. ALL our daughters are in the top ten in their classes.They all make straight “A’s. It has been an eye opening experience on what a better education our sophomore is getting being in private school. The saying “You get what you pay for” is true here.The irony is the public school she left is ranked as one of the a TOP SCHOOLS in our state. I realize everyone can not pay for private school but the point of my blog is our education is failing our children which ultimately plays an important role in our children’s future. Both my husband and I were educated in the public schools. Every parent should make education a priority in their children’s lives.
Until more parents open their eyes and get involved things will continue the way they are… One of the biggest problems with education is it is very difficult to fire a teacher. What other job in this country can you get by with that??? IF you are not doing “YOUR JOB” …you should be FIRED!!!!!
April 19, 2011 at 1:16 pm
mejoyh2006
Erm, as a note in support of private schools…
I’m researching this for a class paper and couldn’t help chuckling a little. @Eric Holcombe, the National Center for Educational Statistics says that 80% of parents with income over $100,000 sent their children to PUBLIC SCHOOL. Yeah, that’s right, with all the “minority” and “special-ed” (random thought: being special should not be a derogatory term. We are all special in God’s eyes) students out there, your “rich kids” are getting those decreased test scores!!!
Personally, I do go to a private school. Enrollment is under 100. Kids come from over an hour away, every day, to go to school. We used to have students from Arizona. And the school’s in KANSAS, of all places. I took the ACT last year–twice. The last time I got a 34. But it’s not because I’m rich. It had to do with teachers who took the time and effort to help me when I struggled with problems, with friends who knew me by name and not just by, “Oh, you’re in my geometry class, aren’t you.” Private schools are better for kids because they promote person-to-person interaction and involvement in learning. NOT because they restrict who they let in.