Student mobility is becoming an increasingly important factor in the success of public schools. Student mobility refers to either a new student who enters the school system or an existing student moving out of the area. Mobility affects the school itself by impacting the performance of the students coming in and out of the system; thereby weighing on the overall test scores of for the entirety of the school. New students take time to catch up with a new curriculum. Student records take time and energy to transfer. For these reasons, schools strive to keep their mobility rate low. Calculating the student mobility rate of a school is easy.

Count the new students. Add up the number of students who transferred into the school during the academic year. This number includes students who transferred within the same school system from one school to another and students who transferred from any other school system. For example, let’s say 23 new students transferred into your school in a year. Make a note of that number.

Count the students who left the school. Add up the number of students who left the school during the academic school year. This number includes students who transferred to another school within the same school district; it also includes students who transferred out of the school system. For example, let’s say the number of students who left the school in a year is 15. Note that number.

Calculate the total school enrollment for the school. The total school enrollment for a school is the total number of students who have enrolled in the school during the year. This number increases during the year as students enter the school system; therefore, it cannot be calculated until the end of the year. This number includes all students who were at any point enrolled in the school, whether or not they left the school during that same year. For this example, let’s say the total enrollment for the school is 551.

Calculate the student mobility rate. Add the total number of students who entered the school and exited the school during the year, in our case 38, and divide it by the total school enrollment for that year; in our case 551. The answer is 0.06896551.This makes the student mobility rate for the school during that year approximately 7 percent.

Tip

A solid school connectedness program can help new students transition into the school system more seamlessly.

Warning

Don't forget students who transfered for even a small amount of time. Even those who did not get completely processed.

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References

Tips

  • A solid school connectedness program can help new students transition into the school system more seamlessly.

Warnings

  • Don't forget students who transfered for even a small amount of time. Even those who did not get completely processed.

Writer Bio

Diane Todd holds a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication from North Carolina State University and is a former video and web producer for a North Carolina multimedia agency. She also spent several years as a media specialist/graphics designer for the Cumberland County school system in Fayetteville, N.C.