What is student mobility?

  • Mobility Rate is a measure of how many students are transferring in and out of a school. Higher mobility (more transfers) can be linked to lower achievement.
  • Things like smaller class size and professional development for teachers may become irrelevant in schools with high mobility rates. This is because high mobility in schools hurts not only the students who leave, but also those who remain.
  • Sarah D. Sparks stated in Student Mobility:  How It Affects Learning that various studies have found student mobility-and particularly multiple moves-associated with a lower school engagement, poorer grades in reading (particularly in math), and a higher risk of dropping out of high school.
  • For more information on student mobility please read the full article by Sarah D. Sparks in Education Week online: https://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/student-mobility/

Mobility in Sweetwater County School District #1