To the editor:

A recent article in the Times-Gazette indicated that the SAT English Language Arts (ELA) scores of Mt. Hope High students ranked 7th in the state. This achievement is even more remarkable in the context of socioeconomic data.

One of the best predictors of students’ high achievement scores is their town’s median household income. For example, five of Rhode Island’s six highest scoring ELA districts are also the five towns with the state’s highest median household income. And if South Kingstown’s income had been $460 higher, the correlation between the two lists would have been a perfect 6 for 6. (This from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 income findings.  Little Compton and Jamestown are high on the income list but their students attend high school in another town).

Remarkably, Mt. Hope is the outlier on this list. Bristol and Warren rank 28th and 29th respectively in median household income among Rhode Island’s 39 municipalities.

This suggests that Mt. Hope High is punching far above its weight, with ELA scores that are much higher than the socioeconomic data would predict.

Further congratulations are due to the school and its students.

Steve MacQuarrie

17 Poppasquash Road

Bristol