Learning Community

The Learning Community, the sole elementary public charter school serving grades K-8 in Learning Community, Rhode Island, is struggling to provide a high-quality education for its students. Despite higher-than-average per-student spending, the school's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates on the RICAS exams, is consistently below the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas.

The Learning Community is ranked 113 out of 166 Rhode Island elementary schools and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Its proficiency rates range from 13.1% to 27.7% in English Language Arts and 8.8% to 34.9% in Mathematics, compared to the state averages of 26.8% to 37.8% and 24.9% to 39.1%, respectively. The school's science proficiency rate of 17.2% also falls short of the state-level data. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high-need student population.

The Learning Community's challenges may be exacerbated by a slightly higher student-teacher ratio of 14.7, which could make it more difficult for teachers to provide individualized attention and support to students. While the school's higher per-student spending suggests a commitment to resources, the lack of academic progress raises questions about the effective allocation and utilization of these funds. Overall, the data suggests that the Learning Community is struggling to meet the needs of its students and further investigation would be needed to identify the root causes and develop targeted strategies for improvement.