Alameda Unified Receives Highest Rating for Educational Return on Investment

In comparison to other school districts the runs a tight budget ship, according to a national study released last month. 

The Center for American Progress examined data on student achievement and spending at over 9,000 districts across the United States and put Alameda in the most cost-effective category by two sets of measures.

"This another example of how Alameda is running lean," said Alameda Unified School District's Superintendent Kirsten Vital at the Feb. 8 school board meeting. "There are so many good things happening in Alameda in spite of the really tragic budget news on the state level."

The report, called Return on Education Investment: A district-by-district evaluation of U.S. educational productivity, placed districts into one of six categories based on return-on-investment (ROI) measures. 

The study compared districts on basic return on investment, and placed districts in one of six categories, ranging from low ROI to high ROI. It also compared districts using an adjusted return on investment measure, taking into account differences in cost of living from region to region and other important factors, such as the higher costs associated with educating students who are in Special Education programs.

AUSD placed in the top category of high-achieving, low-spending school districts in both ROI and Adjusted ROI.

"[The District] is using the resources that are available very well to serve our students and our community," said a press release from AUSD.