K12 Inc. Releases 2017 Academic Report

October 16, 2017

Report Highlights Progress and Continued Commitment to Accountability

HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 16, 2017-- K12 Inc., a leading provider in online learning and school programs for students in kindergarten through high school, today released its 2017 Academic Report (“Report”), which details the academic results of students who attended online public schools managed by K12 for the 2015-16 school year. The Managed Public School Program includes both virtual and blended public schools where a district or independent charter board contract with K12 for a full-time program of educational products and services. The Report aims to provide a transparent view of academic progress, areas in need of improvement and efforts the schools, in partnership with K12, are taking to improve academic outcomes.

The Report includes all K12-managed online and blended school programs with publicly available state test results for 2015-16 in grades 3-8 English Language Arts and/or Reading and Mathematics, as well as high school for assessments in English and Mathematics/Algebra 1. In assessing academic performance, the Report also recognizes that the state testing environment continued to change in the 2015-16 school year, with 11 states choosing to have their own state assessment programs. These shifts resulted in only 23 states using the same assessments in 2015-16 that they had administered in prior years. When states change to new tests, proficiency results cannot be directly compared to previous tests, continuing the challenges in interpreting school performance year over year.

“We are committed to the academic success of the students and families who choose an online learning environment,” said Stuart Udell, CEO of K12 Inc. “We continue to use this data to research the relationship between student achievement and such variables as school structure, teacher effectiveness, and learner preferences, as well as any other engagement behaviors that will help us better inform instruction and meet the needs of every student we serve.”

Key findings of K12’s 2017 Academic Report include:

  • Persistence continues to be a key factor to academic progress, as data confirms that students perform better on state proficiency tests the longer they stay with the K12 program.
    • In grades 3-8, students enrolled at K12-managed public schools for three or more years scored 17 percentage points higher in English Language Arts and 14 percentage points higher in Mathematics than those enrolled less than one year.
    • In high school, students enrolled at K12-managed public schools for three or more years scored 19 percentage points higher in English Language Arts and 3 percentage points higher in Mathematics on High School graduation tests than students enrolled less than one year.
  • In K12-managed public schools, as in most public schools, lower income students – those eligible for free or reduced-price lunch – do not perform as well as students not eligible for federal meal subsidies.
    • Students identified as eligible for free lunch had lower percentages at or above proficiency than students eligible for reduced-price lunch.
    • 61 percent of students enrolled in K12-managed public schools qualified for free and reduced price lunches in 2015-16. For reference, the most recent publicly available data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that approximately 52 percent of 2014-15 public school students qualified for free and reduced price meals nationally.
  • In 2015-16, in many high school tests of Reading and English Language Arts, a number of K12-managed public school programs, including schools in California, Michigan, Ohio, Texas and Washington, performed as well as (and in some grades better than) the state.

“We know we still have more work to do, but we are confident that the programs and strategies we have put in place, combined with our unwavering commitment to putting students first, can support increasing proficiency for all K12 students moving forward,” said Mary Gifford, senior vice president of education, policy and external affairs.

To read the report in its entirety, please click here.

About K12 Inc.

K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) is driving innovation and advancing the quality of education by delivering digital learning platforms and technology to students and school districts across the globe. K12’s curriculum services over 2,000 schools and school districts and has delivered more than four million courses over the past decade. K12 is a company consisting of thousands of online school educators providing instruction, academic services and learning solutions to public schools and districts, traditional classrooms, blended school programs and directly to families. The K12 program is offered in more than 70 K12 partner public schools across the country and through private schools serving students in all 50 states and more than 100 countries. More information can be found at K12.com.

Source: K12 Inc.

K12 Inc.
Jessica Schuler, 571-405-2211
jschuler@k12.com