Healdsburg High School has more computers per student than most traditional high schools in the state, but come in second in the county to Sonoma Valley, according to figures released earlier this month.
The school—with 704 students last academic year and 160 computers for students to access on campus—touts a ratio 4.4 students per computer, according to the statistics published on the Ed-Data website.
Sonoma Valley High beats it with a 2.8 student-per-computer score.
The majority Sonoma County's four alternatives schools, which have smaller student populations, also reported student-to-computer ratios lower than the state average.
But most Sonoma County traditional high schools lag far behind the state average of 4.7 students per computer. At the bottom of the list is Casa Grande, with 16.6 students per classroom computer.
This is the Information Age, and integrating technology into the classroom is seen as a priority for schools. Some schools now encourage middle and high school students to use personal cell phones, tablets and e-readers during school hours for classwork, according to an MSN Money report.
The same article stated nearly three-quarters of teachers surveyed for the Pew Research Center Internet & American Life study said they or their students use cell phones during class or for homework.
Check out the differences among local high schools below, or compare other schools by visiting the Ed-Data website and searching for schools using the yellow box in the upper right corner of the page.
School Access to Technology Comparisons, 2011-12 School Enrollment Computers per School Students per Computer Classrooms with Internet Carpe Diem High* 23 121.9
2
Casa Grande High
1746 105
16.6
77
Healdsburg High 704 160
4.4
46
Petaluma High 1317 84 15.7 63 Rancho Cotate High 1409 245 6.1 77 San Antonio High* 100 40 2.5 40 Sonoma Mountain High* 20 10 2.0 2 Sonoma Valley 1336 485 2.8 76 Valley Oaks* 66 2 7.3 9 Statewide Average n/a 290.8 4.7 n/a *continuation high school
It's important to note he statistics are not a measure of how technology is integrated into the classroom, nor does the data reveal how up-to-date the computers found in local classrooms are.
Here are definitions of the categories in the table above:
- Number of computers: The total number of computers owned or leased by the school that are used at least part of the time for instruction or activities directly related to instruction. Examples are direct instruction, curriculum development, classroom management, preparation of instructional materials, and similar activities.
- Number of students per computer: The enrollment divided by the number of computers, as defined above. Some very small schools or alternative schools may have nearly as many computers as students.
- Number of classrooms on the Internet: The number of classrooms or other instructional settings (such as computer lab, library, or career center) at the school that have access to the Internet through at least one computer. Each classroom or instructional setting is counted only once, even if it has more than one computer with Internet access.
The statistics are published by the the Ed-Data website, a partnership between the California Department of Education (CDE), EdSource, and the Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team to provide data about K-12 education.
How would you rate the availability of technology at Sonoma County high schools? Are we doing enough to prepare students?
