AUBURN – Test scores are lower than the state average. Student poverty is higher. More graduates are going on to two-year colleges.

Altogether, it’s data that can reveal a lot about the success and progress of a school system.

At least that’s what Auburn school officials are hoping.

The Auburn School Department has released its first State of the Schools report, an eight-page document filled with information about enrollment, school finances and student achievement.

Under the 2002 federal No Child Left Behind Act, all school systems are required to create “report cards” to show how successful their schools are. In Maine, the Department of Education will provide all of the required information on its Web site so individual school systems won’t have to prepare a separate report.

Auburn officials decided last fall to come out with their own report anyway in an effort to ensure that residents are better informed about one of Auburn’s biggest, and often most mysterious, investments.

“We wanted to get something into their hands that would tell them about their schools, tell them where their money is going,” said Superintendent Barbara Eretzian.

With help from a southern Maine statistician, a 15-member committee spent about eight months gathering test scores and other information about Auburn schools. Ultimately, they decided to include three years of Maine Educational Assessment scores, brief program descriptions, an outline of the school system’s financial situation, updates on recent technology and building improvements and an outline of the adult education program.

Although such information had always been available to residents, the State of the Schools report marks the first time it has been packaged together.

The report was sent to residents a couple of weeks ago. It is also available on the school department’s Web site at www.auburnschl.edu.

According to Eretzian, some community members have been surprised that more than 14 percent of children live below the poverty rate and 42 percent of elementary and middle school students receive free or reduced lunches, rates that are higher than the state average. They were also surprised to find that in a city not known for its ethnic diversity, 107 students are involved in Auburn’s English as a Second Language program, speaking 13 languages that ranged from Spanish to Farsi.

Eretzian hopes to receive more feedback from community members using a comment form printed on the last page of the report.

Auburn’s State of the Schools report costs about $2,500, including the statistician’s time, printing and distribution charges.

Officials expect to release updated reports every year, allowing residents to track the school system’s progress.

ltice@sunjournal.com

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