Alternative and Traditional High School Enrollment: An Analysis of One Urban District.

Traditional public high schools serve a diversity of students. However, not all students experience success in high school (Aud, KewalRamani, & Frohlich, 2011; McFarland, Cui, & Stark, 2018; McFarland et al., 2017). To meet the needs of students who do not experience success in traditional high schools, school districts increasingly rely on alternative schools and programs to provide basic educational services to a subset of students (Hodge, Liaupsin, Umbreit, & Ferro, 2014; Porowski, O’Conner, & Luo, 2014). Furthermore, Carver and Lewis (2010) reported a particularly high reliance on alternative education in public school districts in which a significant number of students are considered at risk. Alternative schools and programs take many forms but can be categorized into three broad types: (a) schools that offer innovative educational approaches and are often accessible through an application process, (b) schools with a behavior or disciplinary focus designed for students who exhibit social or behavioral difficulties, and (c) schools designed to provide academic support to students who experience credit deficiencies or are otherwise struggling to stay on track for high school completion (Raywid, 1994). These three types of alternative schools are referred to here as innovative, behavior-focused, and academic remediationfocused, respectively. The three types of alternative schools are defined in contrast to traditional public high schools, sometimes referred to as comprehensive neighborhood schools, which typically account for the largest proportion of student enrollment in a district (Keaton, 2014). Since alternative schools target specific student populations (e.g., students who fail multiple courses or students recommended for expulsion), it follows that characteristics of students who attend alternative schools differ from those of students in traditional schools. For example, Foley and Pang (2006) and Perzigian, Afacan, Justin, and Wilkerson (2017) noted higher male and Black student enrollment in academic remediation-focused alternative schools compared to traditional schools. Without distinguishing between types of alternative schools, Lehr and Lange (2003) reported that students of color are enrolled in alternative schools at disproportionately higher rates compared to their enrollment in traditional neighborhood schools. Abstract: Urban districts are important places to observe the array of non-traditional schooling options in which high school students can be educated. We examined enrollment distributions in 1 traditional and 3 different types of alternative high schools in 1 urban school district. We coded all high schools in the sample district into 4 school types including traditional, innovative, behavior– focused, and academic remediation-focused. We analyzed demographic data of all high school students enrolled in the sample school district for gender, ethnicity, qualification for free or reduced-price lunch, and disability status. Results showed overrepresentation of male students, Black students, American Indian students, students who qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, and students with disabilities in behavior-focused alternative schools. Hispanic students were overrepresented in academic remediation-focused alternative schools. These findings suggest disparate enrollment practices among urban traditional and alternative high schools.