In her biweekly column, “State of the Territory,” former Sen. Janelle K. Sarauw delves deeper into issues of concern for V.I. residents.
The 2024-2025 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) report cards for the St. Thomas and St. John School District reveal a familiar and deeply concerning trend: student growth is improving, but academic achievement remains well below acceptable standards.
The scores, measured on a 100-point scale, evaluate schools across three core areas: achievement, growth or graduation, and school quality and student success. While there are pockets of progress, the data point to a persistent gap between how much students improve year-to-year and whether they are actually reaching proficiency in English Language Arts and Mathematics.
Across the district, total scores range from the mid 50s to the high 80s, with most schools earning one or two stars. Joseph Sibilly Elementary stands out as the highest performing school, scoring 88.44 points, with strong results in both ELA and Math as well as exceptional growth. Schools such as Julius E. Sprauve (62.13 points), Ulla F. Muller (66.72 points), and Ivanna Eudora Kean High (62.74 points) fall in the midrange, showing steady improvement despite continued challenges.
On the lower end, Jane E. Tuitt (54.31 points), Lockhart (58.40 points), Joseph Gomez (61.99 points), and Bertha C. Boschulte (55.65 points) lag behind in achievement even as they post moderate growth. The high schools, Charlotte Amalie (59.21 points) and Ivanna Eudora Kean, reflect stable graduation and attendance rates but ongoing struggles in mathematics and readiness indicators such as Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, and Career and Technical Education.
The data make one thing abundantly clear: achievement continues to lag far behind growth. In nearly every school, students are improving from their starting point, but far too many remain below grade level proficiency. Teachers are producing growth under difficult conditions, but the system itself remains too inconsistent, under resourced, and outdated to deliver transformative results. Growth cannot be the ceiling. It is not enough for students to improve if they are still performing below proficiency.
Mathematics remains the weakest area district wide, with significant gaps in numeracy skills and curriculum alignment. English Language Arts shows slightly better outcomes, particularly at the elementary level, suggesting that early literacy initiatives are beginning to yield small but measurable gains.
At the high school level, graduation and attendance rates remain encouraging, with most schools maintaining over 90 percent attendance. However, those numbers lose meaning if students graduate without being truly prepared for postsecondary education or the workforce. Access to advanced coursework and technical training remains limited, and that lack of academic rigor continues to stunt overall progress.
The demographic data also reinforce the inequities within the system. Over 90 percent of students in the district identify as Black or African American. English Language Learners and students with disabilities represent a small percentage of the population, yet both groups continue to underperform, signaling an urgent need for targeted support and specialized intervention. Meanwhile, enrollment across many schools remains flat or in decline, particularly in the upper grades. This trend points to broader systemic issues, population shifts, migration, or disengagement from public education altogether.
Taken together, these results expose the structural cracks that continue to undermine educational equity in the Virgin Islands. Until growth translates into mastery, our schools will remain stuck in a cycle of incremental progress rather than meaningful success.
Moving forward, the Department of Education must strengthen foundational literacy and mathematics instruction, reinvest in teacher development, and modernize curriculum and assessments to reflect real world standards. Accountability should not be about punishment; it should be about empowering schools with the data and resources they need to close achievement gaps. Most importantly, transparency and consistency in leadership are essential to restoring public confidence in the system.
Establish Clear Standards
We must also set clear standards for every grade level and hold to them. Each student should know exactly what is required to move forward, and each teacher should have access to what their students have mastered or missed. Summer programs should target only what was not met, not reteach an entire year. Most importantly, we need to move away from chasing grades and toward proving mastery. Grades should mean that a student has met the standard, not simply completed the work.
There are glimmers of progress within these numbers, but they are not enough. Our students are growing, but they are not yet thriving. Growth without proficiency is not success; it is survival. True progress will be measured when Virgin Islands students are not just improving, but excelling, competing, and leading at the same level as their peers across the United States.
Editor’s Note: Opinion articles do not represent the views of the Virgin Islands Source newsroom and are the sole expressed opinion of the writer. Submissions can be made to visource@gmail.com.
