BATON ROUGE (NBC33) —
Findings of a study conducted internally by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, found that several of the best school districts in the state are
located in the Capital area..
"Five of the best ones are in our metro area," said BRAC President and CEO Adam Knapp. "That's a great sign when talking to companies about our education system in Baton Rouge."
BRAC conducted the in-house analysis on the basis that's there's a direct correlation between public education and business activity.
"Education is a fundamental aspect of the economy that makes us strong," Knapp said, "to produce a workforce that attracts talent to the market."
But the analysis also shows the area lagging significantly.
The study states that 87 of 185 schools in the Baton Rouge region scored a "D" or "F," based on school performance scores.
The entire nine-parish area rated a "C" grade, which is below the state average.
In East Baton Rouge Parish, sixty-nine percent of all schools rated at a "D" or "F".
BRAC said these are harsh numbers that the new superintendent for East Baton Rouge will have to deal with, when selected.
"What candidate has the capability to rapidly increase student achievement and close the achievement gap," Knapp said. "That question is the one leaders will have to ask themselves when selecting a new superintendent."