Proficiency scores, attendance dropping at Rochester Public Schools

(ABC 6 News) – A new report from the Minnesota Department of Education shows attendance & test scores are dropping for students at Rochester Public Schools.

According to that report; test scores in Math, Reading, & Science have all fallen since 2019.

Science scores are down by 5.7%, Reading scores have dropped by 6%, but the most notable change is in Math scores, where students performance dropped by 10% from 2019-2023.

But that wasn’t the only issue noted in MDE’s report. It also shows that RPS falls well below the state-wide average for consistent attendance.

The state average for consistent attendance is 69.8%, but in Rochester, the number sits at just 53.5%, meaning 46.5% of students do not regularly attend school.

A student is considered consistently attending if they attend more than 90 percent of the time the student is enrolled during the year.

ABC 6 reached out to RPS for a comment, but have not heard back at this time.