Why this matters
Demographic composition shapes every other number on a school profile. High-poverty schools face structural headwinds — not because of students themselves, but because of funding gaps, staff turnover, and reduced access to enrichment. The Free/Reduced Lunch rate is the most-cited poverty proxy in US K-12 data. Trend it alongside teacher turnover and chronic absence for the clearest picture.
What we're seeing
At Dr. Theodore T. Alexander Jr. Science Center, student body composition has been essentially flat over the 5-year window — from 85% in 2020 to 86% in 2023. Despite that, the gap vs US average of 52% (FRL) has actually widened — from 33% above in 2020 to 34% above in 2023.