Why this matters
Demographic composition shapes every other number on a school profile. High-poverty schools face structural headwinds — not because of students themselves, but because of funding gaps, staff turnover, and reduced access to enrichment. The Free/Reduced Lunch rate is the most-cited poverty proxy in US K-12 data. Trend it alongside teacher turnover and chronic absence for the clearest picture.
What we're seeing
At Jackson Academy of Music and Math (JAMM), student body composition has been essentially flat over the 5-year window — from 24% in 2020 to 24% in 2023. The gap vs US average of 52% (FRL) is roughly flat (~28% below).