Talawanda Middle School
School Data Assignment
The community: Oxford, Ohio
Oxford quick stats
Population of the community: 371,272
Per capita income: $26,492
Median family income: $56,253
Percent of citizens over 25 are high school graduates: 88.2%
College graduates: 26.8%
Diversity Report
- White: 86.8%
- Black: 8%
- Asian: 2.%
This information shows that the diversity of TMS directly reflects that of Oxford. I will be engrossed in a community that is considered relatively average for middle America. Low diversity rates, average graduation rates for both high school and college and a mix of affluence and poverty.
The school
The Mission
School Stats
What is a title one school? : a school where the state provides funding for areas with high poverty levels. Designed to focus on special needs populations and to reduce the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students.
Student population: 695
Free Lunch: 28% of students
Reduced lunch: 0.06% of students
A large percent of the population is eligible for school lunch, however, it is also an extremely affluent area. This relates to the classroom, because there will most certainly be a huge gap in economic background.
Diversity report
- White: 651
- Pacific Islander: 13
- African American: 8
- Hispanic: 5
The title of this section is misleading, because Talawanda Middle School is clearly not diverse. This will have a huge impact on my teaching, in that, I need to make sure the subject matter centered more around diverse topics in order to introduce the concept to many of my pupils.
State Measures
According to the Ohio Department of Education, TMS is classified as Excellent.
- 75% (or more) of students earned a score of proficient or above in achievement tests
- 85% (or more) of students received a score of proficient or higher on the Ohio Graduation Test
- Meeting or exceeding the 90% state requirement for 4-year graduation rates
- Meeting or exceeding the 93% state requirement for attendance rate
The school spends $10,789.00 per pupil
Teacher Salaries are on par with the state average at $57,317.15 annually.
Knowing they are considered an excellent school gives me confidence that the practices I'm learning are effective. Simultaneously, this means, as a student teacher, I'm not walking into a program that needs vast renovation. I was not aware TMS was considered excellent, but it makes me wonder how balanced the school is. How do they develop the other aspects of a students' personality? How are the extra-curriculars? What type of moral education do the students receive?