Cheshire Shows ‘Record-Setting Achievement’ In State’s DPI Rankings

CHESHIRE, CT — The Cheshire Public School District continues to improve its ranking in the state’s District Performance Index, according to officials.

The District Performance Index is a “compilation of more than 20 data points measuring everything from a multitude of student achievement results to the percentage of high school students accessing arts courses,” according to a news release. “Particular attention is paid to separating the data for students who qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, and/or are English Language Learners.”

The state Department of Education released the results for the 2023-2024 school year earlier this month. Cheshire had the eighth-best performance among K-12 districts, according to officials. By comparison, Cheshire was ranked No. 23 in Connecticut in 2015 and was in ninth place last year.

“Our record-setting achievement is a testament to the hard work of our students and staff in partnership with our families and the community,” Superintendent of Schools Jeff Solan said. “For nearly a decade, the Cheshire Public Schools has focused on teaching students to be complex thinkers with strong social-emotional skills. There has been a corresponding climb in performance over that period.”

Read more from the news release below:

One of the results that most stands out from Cheshire’s performance, is the tremendous growth made in the percentage of chronically absent students. A focus of the district last year, Cheshire’s chronic absenteeism (defined as students who miss more than 10 percent of school days in the year) went from 23 percent in 2022 to less than 10 percent in 2023.

The 12 performance indicators that are measured are as follows (* indicates those indices with additional reporting for sub-groups):

1. Academic achievement status measured by state assessments* 2. Academic growth* 3. Assessment participation rate* 4. Chronic absenteeism* 5. Postsecondary preparation – coursework 6. Postsecondary readiness – exams and college credit 7. Graduation – on track in ninth grade 8. Graduation – four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate – all students 9. Graduation – six-year adjusted cohort graduation rate – high needs 10. Postsecondary entrance rate – all students (college enrollment) 11. Physical fitness 12. Arts access