Middletown Schools Validated study

Middletown's validation study

The Enlarged City School District of Middletown (ECSDM), in Orange County, New York, enrolls more than 6,800 students in seven schools and employs more than 1,000 teachers, administrators and staff. The Hispanic portion of the district’s enrollment has grown from 38% in 2003-04 to 47% in 2010-11, and the White portion of the enrollment has declined from 34% to 23% in the same period. Over the period examined in this report, the district’s population of students eligible for free and reduced meals has increased from 59% to 73%. Middletown’s current leadership also inherited several exceptionally challenging circumstances.

Despite increasing challenges from the changing student enrollment and other significant barriers to success, Middletown has improved academic achievement, graduation rates, and other indicators of student and school success. Middletown differs from the national trends that associate low-income family status with low student achievement. This report documents the multiple accomplishments of the district by comparing several performance indicators over time, by comparing Middletown’s performance to other similar school districts, and by describing the programmatic and organizational changes the district has used to leverage improvement.

If you wish to receive an emailed copy of the study, titled "The Successful Turnaround of a High Poverty-High Minority School District," please contact Kevin Witt at Kevin.witt@ecsdm.org.