11 FACTS ABOUT EDUCATION AND POVERTY IN AMERICA

• What is the "Poverty Line," anyway? According to the 2011 U.S. Census Bureau, it is a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children under 18) that earns less than $23,021.
• More than 30 million children are growing up in poverty. In one low-income community, there was only one book for every 300 children. You can improve literacy rates by running a competitive book drive for low-income areas.
• In 2011, nearly 46.2 million Americans were living in poverty.
• Children living in poverty have a higher number of absenteeism or leave school all together because they are more likely to have to work or care for family members.
• Dropout rates of 16 to 24-years-old students who come from low income families are seven times more likely to drop out than those from families with higher incomes.
• A higher percentage of young adults (31%) without a high school diploma live in poverty, compared to the 24% of young people who finished high school.
• 40% of children living in poverty aren’t prepared for primary schooling.
• Children that live below the poverty line are 1.3 times more likely to have developmental delays or learning disabilities than those who don’t live in poverty.
• By the end of the 4th grade, African-American, Hispanic and low-income students are already 2 years behind grade level. By the time they reach the 12th grade they are 4 years behind.
• In 2013, the dropout rate for students in the nation was at 8% for African American youth, 7% for Hispanic youth, and 4% for Asian youth, which are all higher than the dropout rate for Caucasian youth (4%).
• Less than 30% of students in the bottom quarter of incomes enroll in a 4 year school. Among that group – less than 50% graduate.

Taken from (https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-education-and-poverty-america)

Enrollment & Attendance Data at Mason Academy

• Looking closely into the attendance data is telling. 70% of our boys and 63% of our girls are chronically absent;
• 49% of all our 4th through 8th grade students are chronically absent;
• 68% of all our Kindergarten through 3rd grade students are chronically absent;
• With a 79% reduction in out of school suspensions from SY18 to SY19 there has only been 6% decrease in the overall percentage of chronically absent students;
• Enrollment numbers are almost identical to this time last school year.

Cultural Passport Experience for Mason Academy's Students

The Cultural Passport allows us to send all grade levels to locations around the City of Detroit for a plethora of experiences. These 3rd graders attended the Detroit Historical Museum and got a chance to get a close look at some Aretha Franklin memorabilia.