Historical public education information in Wyoming, 2011-2014

in Wyoming

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Education policy in the U.S.

Public education in the U.S.

School choice in the U.S.

Charter schools in the U.S.

Higher education in the U.S.

Glossary of education terms

Education statistics

This page contains archived information on Wyoming's public education system, primarily from 2011-2012, but also from other years due to the availability of data at the time it was written. For more recent information, view Wyoming's public education page.

The Wyoming public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2012 Wyoming had 90,099 students enrolled in a total of 354 schools in 61 school districts. While the national ratio of teachers to students was 1:16, in Wyoming there were 7,847 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 12 students. There was roughly one administrator for every 248 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average Wyoming spent $15,849 per pupil in 2011, which ranked it sixth highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 79 percent in 2012. This was the Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate reported to the United States Department of Education for all students in 2011-2012.^[1][2]

State agencies[edit]

See also: Wyoming Department of Education

The Wyoming Department of Education oversees the state's K-12 public school system. The department is led by the Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction. As of June 2015, the officeholder for this position was Jillian Balow. Her predecessor was Cindy Hill.^[3]

The mission statement of the Wyoming Department of Education reads:^[4]

“

The Wyoming Department of Education will serve as a supportive partner to districts, schools, and communities to maximize student achievement, facilitate teacher and leader effectiveness, and ensure that every Wyoming student has safe access to an excellent education that prepares them for life after secondary school. Through the use of this collaborative model, Wyoming will take its place as a nationwide leader in public education.[5]

”

The Wyoming State Board of Education sets education policy for the state's public school system and advocates on behalf of students, teachers and citizens.^[6] The board has 12 members, including the Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction.^[7]

Regional comparison[edit]

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Wyoming compared to three neighboring states with respect to number of students, schools, the number of teachers per pupil, and the number of administrators per pupil during the 2011-2012 school year. Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.

Regional comparison, 2011-2012
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher/pupil ratio	Administrator/pupil ratio	Per pupil spending
Wyoming	354	61	90,099	7,847	1:11.5	1:248.3	$15,849
Idaho	762	149	279,873	15,990	1:17.5	1:422.5	$6,824
Montana	826	500	142,349	10,153	1:14.0	1:274.0	$10,639
Utah	1,020	126	598,832	25,970	1:23.1	1:450.2	$6,212
United States	98,328	17,992	49,521,669	3,103,263	1:16	1:295.2	$10,994
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey", 2011-12 v.1a. National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 2. Number of operating public schools and districts, state enrollment, teacher and pupil/teacher ratio by state: School year 2011–12" U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2011,Governments Division Reports," issued May 2013

Demographics[edit]

See also: Demographic information for all students in all 50 states

The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in Wyoming as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2011-2012.^[8]

Demographic information for Wyoming's K-12 public school system
Ethnicity	Students	State percentage	United States percentage**
American Indian	2,885	3.2%	1.10%
Asian	710	0.79%	4.68%
African American	979	1.09%	15.68%
Hawaiian Nat./Pacific Isl.	123	0.14%	0.42%
Hispanic	11,326	12.57%	24.37%
White	72,519	80.49%	51.21%
Two or More	1,557	1.73%	2.54%
**Note: This is the percentage of all students in the United States that are reported to be of this ethnicity.

Enrollments by region type[edit]

See also: Student distribution by region type in the United States

During the 2011-2012 school year a plurality of students in Wyoming attended town schools. This was different from neighboring states, as students in Idaho and Montana were more likely to attend rural schools than town schools, and students in Utah were more likely to attend suburban schools than town schools.

Student distribution by region type, 2011 - 2012 (as percents)
State	City schools	Suburban schools	Town schools	Rural schools
Wyoming	22.8%	1.7%	42.3%	33.2%
Idaho	27.5%	15.9%	20.8%	35.8%
Montana	23.8%	1.9%	35.0%	39.4%
Utah	16.5%	50.9%	12.9%	19.7%
U.S. average	28.9%	34%	11.6%	25.4%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD)

Academic performance[edit]

Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores[edit]

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Compared to three neighboring states (Idaho, Montana, and Utah), Wyoming had the highest percentage of students score at or above proficient in math in fourth grade and eighth grade during the 2012-2013 school year.^[9]

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
Wyoming	48%	38%	37%	38%
Idaho	40%	36%	33%	38%
Montana	45%	40%	35%	40%
Utah	44%	36%	37%	39%
U.S. average	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores[edit]

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the U.S.

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Wyoming and surrounding states for 2012 and 2013.^[9][10][11]

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores*
State	Graduation rate, 2012		Average ACT composite, 2012		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
Wyoming	79%	Third	20.3	100%	1757	4%
Idaho	92%	First	21.6	67%	1364	99%
Montana	84%	Second	22	61%	1595	25%
Utah	80%	Third	20.7	97%	1684	6%
U.S. average	80%		21.1		1498
*Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Rate (except for Idaho, Kentucky, Oklahoma, which did not report “Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate,” but instead used their own method of calculation). **Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express

Dropout rate[edit]

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades 9–12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Wyoming was higher than the national average at 5.4 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 4.3 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.^[12]

Educational choice options[edit]

See also: School choice in Wyoming

Wyoming ranked last in the U.S. in private school attendance as of June 2015. Other school choice options for students in the state include charter schools, homeschooling, online learning and voluntary public school open enrollment policies.

Education funding and expenditures[edit]

See also: Wyoming state budget and finances

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), Wyoming spent approximately 3.9 percent of its fiscal year 2012 budget on elementary and secondary education. This was down 13.8 percentage points, a 77.97 percent decrease in the share of the budget from fiscal year 2008, when the state spent 17.7 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education. Over half of Wyoming's education revenue comes from state funding. Local funding accounts for about 37 percent, and federal funding accounts for about nine percent.^{[13][14][15][16][17]}

Comparison of financial figures for school systems
State	Percent of budget (2012)	Per pupil spending (2011)	Revenue sources (2011)
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
Wyoming	3.9%	$15,849	9.41%	53.37%	37.22%
Idaho	25.7%	$6,824	13.91%	63.73%	22.36%
Montana	15.5%	$10,639	16.35%	44.1%	39.55%
Utah	24.7%	$6,212	12.02%	51.19%	36.79%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report," Table 8: Elementary and Secondary Education Expenditures As a Percent of Total Expenditures U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2011,Governments Division Reports," issued May 2013

Revenue breakdowns[edit]

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system revenues in Wyoming totaled approximately $1.6 billion in fiscal year 2011. The table and chart below present further detail, including revenue sources, for Wyoming and surrounding states.^[18]

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2011 (amounts in thousands)
	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
Wyoming	$154,955	$878,979	$612,931	$1,646,865
Idaho	$299,354	$1,371,789	$481,296	$2,152,439
Montana	$264,594	$713,886	$640,138	$1,618,618
Utah	$519,547	$2,211,870	$1,589,706	$4,321,123
U.S. total	$74,943,767	$267,762,416	$264,550,594	$607,256,777
Source: National Center for Education Statistics

\| \n <pbars size=650x300 title="" grid=true ymin=0 ymax=100 legend colorscheme=excel> ,Federal revenue,State revenue,Local revenue Wyoming,9.41,53.37,37.22 Idaho,13.91,63.73,22.36 Montana,16.35,44.10,39.55 Utah,12.02,51.19,36.79 U.S. total,12.34,44.09,43.56 </pbars>

Public school revenues by source, fiscal year 2011 (as percents)

Expenditure breakdowns[edit]

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures in Wyoming totaled approximately $1.6 billion in fiscal year 2011. The table and chart below present further detail, including expenditure types, for Wyoming and surrounding states.^[18]

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2011 (amounts in thousands)
	General expenditures**	Capital outlay	Other***	Total expenditures
Wyoming	$1,397,339	$234,408	$10,504	$1,642,251
Idaho	$1,867,679	$85,001	$65,674	$2,018,354
Montana	$1,506,467	$103,728	$25,691	$1,635,886
Utah	$3,600,074	$693,458	$234,361	$4,527,893
U.S. total	$520,577,893	$52,984,139	$29,581,293	$603,143,325
**Funds spent operating local public schools and local education agencies, including such expenses as salaries for school personnel, student transportation, school books and materials, and energy costs, but excluding capital outlay, interest on school debt, payments to private schools, and payments to public charter schools. ***Includes payments to state and local governments, payments to private schools, interest on school system indebtedness, and nonelementary-secondary expenditures, such as adult education and community services expenditures. Source: National Center for Education Statistics

\| \n <pbars size=500x300 title="" grid=true ymin=0 ymax=100 legend colorscheme=excel> ,Current expenditures,Capital outlay,Other Wyoming,85.09,14.27,0.64 Idaho,92.53,4.21,3.25 Montana,92.09,6.34,1.57 Utah,79.51,15.32,5.18 U.S. total,86.31,8.78,4.90 </pbars>

Public school expenditures, fiscal year 2011 (as percents)

Personnel salaries[edit]

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Wyoming, the average salary increased by 24.2 percent.^[20]

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
Wyoming	$46,638	$59,628	$58,174	$57,920	24.2%
Idaho	$48,578	$49,404	$49,359	$49,734	2.4%
Montana	$43,896	$48,845	$49,354	$49,999	13.9%
Utah	$47,757	$48,980	$48,961	$49,393	3.4%
U.S. average	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations[edit]

Unions[edit]

In 2012, the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas, including: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Wyoming ranked 29th overall, or average, which was in the middle tier of five.^[21]

The main union related to the Wyoming school system is the Wyoming Education Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA).

Government sector lobbying[edit]

See also: Wyoming government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Wyoming School Boards Association.

Studies and reports[edit]

Quality Counts 2014[edit]

See also: Quality Counts 2014 Report

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate a report card for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Wyoming received a score of 79.9, or a B- average in the "chance for success" category. This was above the national average. The state's highest score was in "school finance" at 90.3, or an A- average. The lowest score was in "the teaching profession" at 66.7, or a D+ average. Wyoming received the highest score in the "school finance" category in the country. The chart below displays the scores of Wyoming and its surrounding states.^[22]

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and Alignment
Wyoming	79.9 (B-)	70.0 (C-)	79.3 (C+)	66.7 (D+)	90.3 (A-)	78.6 (C+)
Idaho	74.2 (C)	69.8 (C-)	86.6 (B+)	60.5 (D-)	60.0 (D-)	71.4 (C-)
Montana	76.3 (C)	69.7 (C-)	76.3 (C)	69.4 (D+)	73.0 (C)	60.7 (D-)
Utah	79.1 (C+)	69.1 (D+)	81.7 (B-)	64.5 (D)	65.2 (D)	89.3 (B+)
United States Average	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014 report cards," accessed February 18, 2015 A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study[edit]

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

See also[edit]

• Public education in Wyoming
• Wyoming
• Education Policy in the U.S.

Footnotes[edit]

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