2015 Yonkers Community Snapshot

[UPDATE:  We’ve updated our 2015 Community Snapshots to include 2015 ELA/Math Proficiency Data.  Download the updated version for Yonkers here.]

Today is the launch of our second annual Community Snapshots series! The series will feature updated data for the five cities featured in 2014, as well as two new communities chosen by our readers.

Over the next week and a half, we’ll share all seven 2015 Community Snapshots in order of population size:

1. Yonkers (Monday, August 3)
2. New Rochelle (Tuesday, August 4)
3. Mount Vernon (Wednesday, August 5)
4. White Plains (Thursday, August 6)
5. Ossining (Friday, August 7)
6. Port Chester (Monday, August 10)
7. Peekskill (Tuesday, August 11)

The New and Improved Community Snapshots

This year, we’ve redesigned the Community Snapshots to be more compact and streamlined. As successful as last year’s design was, we felt we could do better. As a result, each snapshot can now be printed on just one side of a legal-sized piece of paper. More importantly, the selected data indicators receive the space and attention that they deserve, and run less risk of getting lost in the shuffle.

Also new this year, each snapshot comes with its own downloadable data packet. This means you can view the raw numbers, data sources, and in the case of the new diversity index, the methodology and calculations behind the number. Feel free to take these numbers and make your own infographics with them!

2015 Yonkers Community Snapshot

Now on to what you’ve all been waiting for — the release of this first snapshot! A few things to note in comparison to last year’s Yonkers Snapshot:

• The Yonkers Public School District saw improvements across the board for its third and eighth grade proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics.
• Both the suspension rate and the percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunches decreased.
• Yonkers’ graduation rate decreased by 7 percentage points, but the college readiness rate improved by 5 points.
• Median annual income for both married couples with children and single fathers increased by about $2,000, but there wasn’t a similar increase for the median income of single mothers. However, these increases fall within the margin of error (i.e., the difference is statistically insignificant), so it’s unclear if this is an actual trend.
• NAFI’s Youth and Police Initiative is taking strides to improve understanding between young people and the city’s law enforcement officers. The program provides a safe space for difficult, honest conversations in the Yonkers community.

UPDATE (9/23/2015):
Download the UPDATED Yonkers 2015 Community Snapshot with 2015 ELA/Math statistics and its accompanying updated 2015 data packet.

You can still download the older version of the 2015 Yonkers Community Snapshot with 2014 ELA/Math statistics and its accompanying data packet.