Mike James
The Independent
ASHLAND —
Every school district in Boyd and Greenup County posted better graduation rates than the state as a whole, according to figures supplied by the Kentucky Youth Advocates.
Several districts also showed a higher percentage of students making a successful transition to adult life after school, said Amy Swann, a policy analyst for KYA.
In some other areas, counties in Northeast Kentucky lagged behind the state as a whole, according to KYA figures and the 2010 Kids Count Data Book released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
All figures are the latest available, between 2006 and 2008.
Noteworthy findings, according to Swann, included:
Transition to adult life of high school graduates was better — 97 percent in Ashland and Boyd County districts, 99 percent in Fairview, 95 percent in Greenup County and Raceland, 98 percent in Russell, compared to 94 percent statewide.
Graduation rates, higher than the state’s 84 percent in all districts in Boyd, Carter and Greenup counties, ranging from 85 percent in the Greenup County district to 97 percent in Fairview and Russell.
Significantly better was the teen birthrate in Greenup County, 47 per 100,000 females ages 15-19 compared to 54 at the state level. “That might not seem like such a big difference but in the field of teen births that is a substantial victory,” Swann said.
Carter County showed 10 percent of babies born with low birth rates. The statistic is unfortunate because of the implications for the future — including risks to educational success and poorer health outcomes.
Carter also showed more children — 30 percent — in poverty than the state as a whole — 23 percent.
Greenup was worse than the state in infant mortality, eight per 100,000 live births compared to seven.
The data are useful to local agencies and entities in planning their goals and allocating their resources, Swann said.
KYA will release the 2010 Kentucky Kids Count County Data Book in September. It will provide extensive information at the state and county level of indicators of child well-being, including household income, children on food stamps, those receiving WIC aid, students eligible for free and reduced lunches and more.
MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2652.
