Where is Bridgeport Failing?
• Over 10,200 Bridgeport children lived in poverty in 2006, nearly 30% of all Bridgeport children, and an increase of 575 more children than in 2005. • Bridgeport’s rate of child poverty is more than twice the statewide rate and 50% higher than the national rate. • More than 95% of Bridgeport public school students were economically disadvantaged or lived in families earning less than $32,560 for a family of three. Statewide, 27% of the public school students are economically disadvantaged. • Of the 3rd – 8th grade students in Bridgeport public schools who took the Connecticut Mastery Test in spring 2008, 45% met federal standards of proficiency in reading, compared to 74% of students statewide. • The Class of 2006 had a dropout rate of 22.4%, compared to 19% for the Class of 2005. • In 2005, nearly 10% of all Bridgeport newborns weighed less than 5.5 pounds at birth. The number is an increase of 15% from the previous year. These babies are at risk for developmental delays and long-ter
