Rural communities like Del Norte County in Northern California face additional challenges in obtaining a quality education compared with urban areas. Thirty percent of children in the county are in poverty, 50% are food insecure, and enrollment in Free and Reduced Price Lunch is higher than the state average with 64% (SD = 3) enrolled vs. 58% (SD = 1), 95%CI [3.0, 8.4], d = 2.46. It is also important to note that satisfactory attendance in Del Norte County is at only 51%. According to the Rural Families Data Center (2004), this achievement gap is due to excessive absence and truancy, low socioeconomic status, poverty, alcohol and other drug use, and high school dropout rates. Low-income families are less likely to enroll their children in early childhood education and care (Magnuson, Meyers, Ruhm, & Waldfogel, 2004). Socioeconomic status can also influence cognitive functioning and poor children are more likely to exhibit developmental delays and learning disabilities. Additionally, low-income students are more likely to repeat a grade, be suspended or expelled, and drop out of high school (Brooks-Gunn & Duncan, 1997). Parent education level is often a predictive factor in students’ achievement in school due to an influence on students’ expectations and aspirations.
Data was collected to inform a report created by the California Center for Rural Policy (CCRP) for dissemination throughout the community. Archival data was obtained from the Department of Education DataQuest website for Del Norte County and California. CAHSEE success rates from the last ten years were gathered and analyzed for differences between county and state. Generally, test scores for Del Norte County (M = 40.9, SD = 6.4) were lower than the California state average (M = 54.4, SD = 5.2), 95%CI [2.0, 19.1], d = 1.80. Economically disadvantaged students were less likely to pass the CAHSEE (M = 69.0, SD = 5.0) compared to non-economically disadvantaged (M = 84, SD = 7.9) students in Del Norte County, 95%CI [11.2, 22.4], d = 4.36. The alternative High School students at Sunset High were much less likely to pass the CAHSEE (M = 47.0, SD = 13.6) compared to the traditional High School, Del Norte High (M = 81.8, SD = 4.2) 95%CI [14.0, 55.6], d = 3.27. Scores on the English section of the Smarter Balanced Assessment for third graders show a 10% gap where Del Norte County third graders are less likely to score at or above the standard 95%CI [0.6, 18.2], d = 1.56.
These results show that more attention must be paid to education systems in rural communities to improve outcomes such as literacy, test scores, and high school graduation rates. Additional services should be made available to economically disadvantaged students within these rural areas. This is imperative to the success of the rural area and its inhabitants.
