When the Board of Education meets tonight (Thursday, November 21, 7 p.m., Staples cafeteria), they’ll receive 2 reports.
One describes what happens in the classroom: standardized testing, college acceptances and more, for Staples High School’s Class of 2024.
The other tells what happens outside of school: the most recent youth survey of students in grades 7-12.
Let’s begin with the seniors, who graduated in June.
The 426 graduates are attending 176 different post-secondary institutions. The overwhelming majority — 93.1% — are in 4-year colleges.
Another 2.1% are in 2-year colleges. Just 0.5% are at post-grad, vocational or other higher education institutions.
1.7% of the Class of ’24 are taking a gap year. 0.9% entered the military. 1.6% went directly into the workforce, or are classified as “other.”
The Top 5 college in terms of attendance are Syracuse University (14 current Staples freshmen), the University of Connecticut (including regional campuses — 12); the University of Colorado (11), and Indiana University and Northeastern University (10 each).
The top 5 college in terms of applicants from last year’s seniors: UConn (152 applications), Indiana (85), Pennsylvania State University (81), the University of Colorado (76) and Elon University (64).
28% of students applied for local or community scholarships. 13% said they intended to play an intercollegiate sport. 7% said they applied to a visual or performing arts program.
40% of students submitted test scores to all colleges. 26% submitted some. 34% did not submit test scores to any college.
The 3 most important factors in the college search and selection process were academic programs, location, and activities/campus life, students said.
In terms of standardized testing, the composite mean ACT score was 29.3. The total mean SAT score was 1229.
Last spring, a total of 577 students (including non-seniors) took a total of 1,338 Advanced Placement exams. The mean score was 4.3.
So what happens outside beyond the school day?
Last February, Westport’s Departmentn of Human Services and Positive Directions sruveyed a random sample of students in grades 7-12. Among the findings:
Use of alcohol, cannabis and vaping has decreased since the 2021 survey. Other substance use (tobacco, misues of prescription drugs) remains minimal, at 1%.
Substance use rates are “particularly low at the middle schoo level, and remain low through 10th grade.”
The “large majority” of high school students do not report any substance use. According to the survey, 75% of Staples students do not drink; 91% do not use cannabis, and 92% do not vape.
Most Westport teenagers 16 and older do not drive under the influence of alcohol or cannabis, the report found. However, 8% report that they have ridden with a driver under the influence. And 12% have texted while driving.
Fewer than 10 Staples students reported using hallucinogens, meth, heroin, fentanyl, MOMA, cocaine, crack or inhalants.
Students with Individualized Education Programs use cannabis at three time the rate of students without IEPs, and vape at twice the non-IEP rate. In 12th grade, 53% of students with IEPs reported using cannabis.
Alcohol use among Westport seniors is 1.6 times the national rate (38% here, versus 24% nationally).
The report says the local rate “may reflect a common parenting misperception that youth should ‘learn’ to drink before college.”
In 2021, 60% of seniors said that they drank.
Though cigarette smoking in 12th grade is low (4%), it is double the 2% reported in 2021. 5% of students use nicotine pouches.
22% of 7th graders do not believe it is harmful to binge drink 5+ drinks once or twice a week.
15% of 7th gaders do not see vaping nicotine or marijuana as risky.
In 12th grade, 51% of students believe that using cannabis once or twice a week is not harmful.
The report also notes that fewer than 2/3 of teenagers say that their parents “takek steps to prevent youth from accessing or using substances at home.”
54% of youth who drink get their alcohol from an adult family member, with permission.
More than half of students who use alcohol or cannabis do so at their own home, or a friend’s home.
39% of youth who drink do so at home, with a parent or guardian present.
Finally, the report says, “gambling is emerging as a popular risky behavior.” 23% of students have gambled on fantasy or real sports, scratch tickets, online, or poker.
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Planning would then continue in 2025-27 for Phase II (for Coleytown Middle feeder schools). That phase is predicated on the opening of a new Long Lots Elementary School for the 2026-27 school year.
