"Did you know" - Facts that May Surprise You about FWCS

What FWCS Accomplishes with Less

• FWCS accomplishes more with less.
• 2nd highest student population in the state;
• 15th highest traditional public school complexity index;
• 64th in per pupil funding for traditional public schools.
• FWCS is one of 70 out of 15,000 school districts in the United States that must qualify in the maximum of 37 cells to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the Federal No Child Left Behind Act. The U.S. Department of Education has identified only one such school in the country that made AYP last year - FWCS.
• FWCS' ISTEP+ results improved at every grade level in 2010, despite the increasing complexity of its student body.
• The percent of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of poverty, has increased from 40% in 2000 to nearly 70% currently.
• Comparisons with neighboring districts: EACS - 45%; SACS and NACS - 14%
• The number of Limited English Speaking students has increased from 500 in 2000 to almost 2,500 currently.
• There are 79 languages spoken by FWCS students.
• FWCS' graduation rates have improved each year and exceed the state average.
• FWCS spends 78% of its non-operational budget on instruction, ranking in the top 10% in the state.
• FWCS is one of few districts across the country to successfully offer students the option to attend any of the 50 schools in the district, based on space availability and racial balance.
• FWCS offers a wide variety of quality programs for all students, including seven magnet schools: two Montessori schools and five with focuses on math and science, fine arts and communications.
• FWCS offers specialized Programs of Study at each of its five high schools, including the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) program at South Side, the New Tech Academy as well as the Business program at Wayne, Project Lead the Way Engineering at Northrop, Project Lead the Way Biomedical Sciences at Snider and Global Studies/World Languages at North Side.
• FWCS is a leader in school reform through its LEAD School process. LEAD Schools are "Leading Educational Achievement with Distinction." All school personnel in LEAD Schools had to re-apply for jobs there, and FWCS and the Fort Wayne Education Association reached a revolutionary contract that allowed great flexibility in hiring teachers that was not based on seniority. The schools are laboratories for school-wide implementation of the best research-based practices so these can be expanded to all schools.
• FWCS is serious about improving student achievement in each of its schools. Every school has a teacher coach who works with teachers to improve instruction to students.
• FWCS was the first school district in the area to offer district-wide full-day kindergarten to all students at no additional cost to parents, even though it is not fully funded by the state.
• FWCS has the first public school in the nation, Bunche Early Childhood Center, to receive accreditation from the American Montessori Society. Bunche was re-accredited in 2010. FWCS also has the state's only public 1-8 Montessori program, Towles Intermediate School.
• FWCS' Anthis Career Center provides an extensive Career Education Program to 22 high schools in Northeast Indiana, including dual-credit opportunities with local colleges and national, state and local certifications in most programs.
• Many FWCS schools have received state or national recognition for their programs. Among them: Franke Park Elementary is a NASA Explorer School - the first in Indiana - and Lindley Elementary is part of the International Spanish Academies Program.
• FWCS provides services to private and parochial schools. Our Nutrition Services Center supplies meals to 10 private and parochial schools, feeding more than 2,000 non-FWCS students. Our Special Education Department assists 6,000 students in total including almost 600 students from private and parochial schools.
• FWCS provides adult education programs including academic classes, GED preparation, technology, electronics, business and computer classes, recreation and youth and family activities.
• FWCS offers its own clothing bank and homeless assistance programs. Last year we helped about 2,000 students receive new or gently used clothing and worked with over 200 homeless children.
• The FWCS Study Connection award-winning community mentoring program serves about 500 students, one mentor one hour per week, providing positive adult role models with a focus on academic success.