Weekly roundup: OC’s Community Indicators Report, school board changes, immunization rates and more

Orange County’s latest Community Indicators Report is out, pulling together compelling data and trends related to the local economy, housing, income and health.

Naturally, education was also a major focus of the 72-page report, which was produced by several foundations, businesses and agencies, including OCDE.

Education News title cardAmong its findings, only 52 percent of children in Orange County were considered developmentally ready for kindergarten in 2016. Yet Orange County’s high school dropout rate of 5.4 percent was much lower than the statewide rate of 9.8 percent.

Meanwhile, the percentage of high schoolers taking career technical education courses in STEM subjects spiked 40 percent over a two-year span, reflecting recent efforts to expand career pathway opportunities for students through such programs as OC Pathways.

Orange County Register reporter Margot Roosevelt interviewed County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Al Mijares to discuss the educational metrics outlined in the report for this story that appeared in Sunday’s newspaper.

Here’s some more education news from the week:

  • Immunization rates are up for local kindergarteners thanks to a 2014 state law that eliminated personal belief exemptions, according to an audit by the Orange County Grand Jury.
  • Beginning in 2018, voters in the Tustin Unified School District will elect school board members by trustee area instead of at-large.
  • A group of international middle schoolers who have distinguished themselves in science and engineering traveled to Southern California to take part in science-themed events through the Broadcom Foundation’s Masters International program.
For more education news stories, visit news.ocde.us.