Fact Sheet

Baltimore City Public schools have a tremendous amount of responsibility. Recently, Baltimore City has been credited in the news for increasing graduation rates of African-American males to 57% and decreasing the drop-out rate to 4.1% in the 2009-2010 school year. Although these are great accomplishments that deserve recognition, Baltimore BORN is convinced that the city can continue to improve on these statistics. BORN is dedicated to working with schools like Dr. Bernard Harris Sr. Elementary, as well as other local schools and administrators, to increase the graduation rate and ensure that African-American males continue to gain access to appropriate and rigorous educational and social opportunities. While BORN does not discriminate on the basis of race, given the demographics of the neighborhoods in which we work, BORN serves almost exclusively African-American boys.

In the 2009-2010 School Year:
  • 1,098 students dropped out of City Schools, 593 of which were African-American males.
  • 43% of African-American males did not graduate with a diploma.
  • Students who were chronically absent, habitually truant, or suspended more than one time performed significantly lower on Reading Assessments.
  • In grades 6-8, 33.6% of students performed on a Basic Reading Level
  • In grades 6-8, 48% of students performed on a Basic Math Level
  • 86.6% of City Schools’ students are African-American
  • 83.5% of City Schools’ students are low-income (based on Free or Reduced Price Meal eligibility)
  • At Dr. Bernard Harris Sr. Elementary, a Title 1 school, 98% of the students are low-income (based on Free or Reduced Price Meal eligibility)
This data was recently reported in Baltimore City Public Schools Fast Facts 2010-2011. The full document is available on their website at www.bcps.k12.md.us. In this report, the City Schools recognize that it is the responsibility of the schools, families, communities, and partners to create a system that leads to true success for the students. Working within the Oliver Community of East Baltimore, and partnering with local schools, Baltimore BORN takes this responsibility in a proactive and determined manner. Data related to Dr. Bernard Harris Sr. Elementary comes from the Maryland Report Card website at www.mdreportcard.org.