MAGAZINE STUDY: CAPE SCHOOLS RANK IN TOP THIRD

Cape Girardeau public schools rank in the top third of schools nationwide, says a study released by Expansion Management magazine.

Cape Girardeau schools earned a score of 117.7, better than 68 percent of all U.S. public school districts, on Expansion Management's third annual Education Quotient (EQ) index.

The EQ compares how school districts rate along seven education quality indicators against the range of all U.S. school districts. It provides a general overview of an area's schools for corporate executives considering new locations for companies.

On a scale of 50 to 150, with 100 being average, the EQ provides a capsule summary of how a school district stands on a continuum of U.S. school districts with enrollments of 450 students or more.

The magazine calculated EQs for 500 school districts that serve the United States' major business centers.

Of the nine Missouri school districts listed, only Columbia scored higher than Cape Girardeau on the EQ, with a 124.8 score.

This year for the first time Expansion Management also published three EQ sub-indices -- one that compares graduate quality, one that compares financial resources, and one that compares the surrounding community's wealth.

Cape Girardeau's graduate outcome score was 116; resource score 120; and community score 117.

Cape Girardeau's percentage of local funding was the highest on the Missouri list at 61 percent. Columbia came in with 56 percent.

The seven criteria were high school graduation rate, average college board scores, minimum schedules and average classroom teacher salaries, money spent per pupil on instruction only, student-to-teacher ratio, surrounding community's average level of education, and surrounding community's average income level.