Over the past few months, the concept consolidating high schools in Warren County has people on both sides of the argument citing various information to support their point-of-view.

Because school pride is not quantitative but enrollment statistics and test scores are, the Times Observer has collected the data that lies beneath the issue.

Enrollment

A declining enrollment in the Warren County School District is not a new notion. According to statistics compiled by the district, the total enrollment in the 1979-80 school year was 8,876 students. The latest enrollment figures logged in October 2009 showed 5,142 students attending school in the district, which is a loss of 42.07 percent of the students from the earlier figure.

However, when considering the drop in district-wide enrollment, there is one extenuating factor-Tidioute Community Charter School. After the closure of Tidioute High School, the district lost students when the charter school opened in 2005.

In the past 10 years, the central attendance area has lost 629 students, about 20.6 percent. In the same time frame, the northern attendance area has lost 340, or 24 percent.

In the past decade, Tidioute High School closed and then reopened as the Tidioute Community Charter School, which skews the statistics for the western attendance area. Similarly, transfer of kindergarteners from the central attendance area to Allegheny Valley Elementary for all-day kindergarten alters the numbers in the eastern attendance area. However, just over the past three years, enrollment in the western attendance area has dropped from 1020 to 965, a loss of 5.39 percent. From 2003 to 2007, a five-year span before all-day kindergarten, the eastern attendance area dropped from 752 to 705, a loss of 6.25 percent.

Another aspect of enrollment in individual attendance areas that is often overlooked is transfers. Using the Right to Know Act, the Times Observer obtained the transfer rates for the current school year.

Twenty-six students transferred into the northern attendance area and eight transferred out to another attendance area, leaving the northern attendance area with a net gain of 18 students.

Conversely, the central attendance area had 18 students transfer in, but had 39 students transfer out, which is a net loss of 21 students. The western attendance area suffered a loss as well. That area had nine students transfer in and 14 students transfer out, a net loss of five students.

The eastern attendance area gained a few students through transfers. The attendance area had 16 students transfer in and 8 transfer out, reflecting a net gain of 8 students.

PSSA scores

Academic standards in schools and school districts are measured by the No Child Left Behind Act. In Pennsylvania, schools are monitored through Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) tests.

In terms of the four high schools in the district, Eisenhower Middle/High School faired the best in the 2008-2009 scores with 81.2 percent of students testing proficient in reading and 74.4 percent testing proficient in math. Warren Area High School had 68.5 percent of students testing proficient in reading and 58.5 testing proficient in math. Sheffield Middle High School had 55.6 percent of students test proficient in reading and 55.1 percent test proficient in math. Youngsville High School fell short of making AYP with 42.4 percent testing proficient in math and 56.5 percent testing proficient in math.