Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Her Campus Hofstra or Her Campus Media.
With the college school year coming to a close, we have to remember that our high schools still have another month to go. Hopefully, our senior friends will be graduating and moving on to their own freshman year of college. For students of Hempstead High School—AKA Hofstra’s next-door-neighbor—this is not always the case. Here are some fast facts about Hempstead High School that you might not know from the US News and World Report:
- Student Body: 2,226 total enrollments
- 19:1 Student-Faculty ratio
- Total Minority Enrollment: 99%
Breakdown:
- 35% Black students
- 63% Hispanic students
- < 2% White, Asian, American Indian, Pacific Islander students
- Total Economically Disadvantaged: 62%
- 46% Female Students, 54% Male
- 60% of students are in the Free Lunch Program
- In Math Proficiency, 37% of students are not meeting learning standards, 38% meet learning standards.
- In English Proficiency, 17% of students do not meet learning standards, 59% meet learning standards.
- The College Readiness Index is 13.5 out of 100.
- 22% of students participate in AP Programs. The Exam Pass Rate is 32%.
- Graduation Rate: 54%
Ultimately, these are just a bunch of numbers that could have no actual effect on the quality of education students are receiving. Besides, the desire to graduate needs to start with intrinsic motivation of the student, right? Right?
Photo courtesy of Pexels
While this may be true, there are also many factors that play into this lower-than-average graduation rate. The New York State graduation rate is 84% (2016), and the graduation rate over at Garden City High School (which is 1% Black, 3% Hispanic, 4% Asian, and 93% White students) is 95%. Let me repeat myself. The majorly white high school a couple miles away from Hempstead High School with a 74.1 College Readiness Index (reminder, that’s out of 100) and only 2% economically disadvantaged students are graduating 95% of their class.
Unless you’re from around here, you may also not know that all New York State Public School Students are required to take a series of Regents Exams and pass them all to graduate. If you went to a public school, you probably had to go through something similar. The Regent Exam testing is holding students back specifically at Hempstead High School and causing the graduation rate to drop because they cannot pass the exams. Many students, many seniors, have to go through Regents testing multiple times (more than twice) in subjects they haven’t studied since their freshman year. Where is the gap in testing, funding, or general education that these students can’t pass these exams?
Photo courtesy of Pexels
There is a clear, educational difference between the students who are graduating at Garden City, and the students who are not at Hempstead.
No single person is to blame in this situation, but this is an issue that goes unrecognized right outside Hofstra’s front door. Information and education are two of the most important tools in the world and, with this knowledge, Hofstra students may be able to have better-informed conversations about the issues in our community. College students engaging in productive dialogues is powerful and promotes real change outside of our campus. Again, one of the most vital tools in the world is education. We have been given the incredible opportunity of receiving higher education, and I hope you will take this knowledge and move forward informed and impassioned to better the opportunities of those that do not have the ones you do.
Photo courtesy of Pexels
All statistics sourced from US News and World Report