Gender differences in schools show more boys in special ed, trouble

Boys get in trouble more at school than girls, though more boys took tougher math classes in high school than girls.

Those were just some of the gender differences in data that was recently presented to the Columbia Falls School District 6 board by the principals of each school.

At the all the schools, boys were more of a disciplinary problem than girls by a 2 to 1 margin. At Glacier Gateway and Ruder elementaries for example, about 70 percent of the office referrals were male, while just 30 percent were female.

The numbers held true through the junior high and high school, with 66 percent male at the junior high and 65 percent male at the senior high.

There were also more males in special education. About 60 percent of the special ed students in the elementary schools were males. That number held true all the way through high school. But in the gifted and talented programs, boys also held the edge at Ruder Elementary, with 67 percent of the 15 students male. At Glacier Gateway, the ratio was flipped, with 55 percent of the 28 gifted and talented students female.

At Ruder, 29 percent of the boys tested were considered proficient at math and 34 percent were considered advanced. For girls, 35 percent were considered proficient in math, while 25 percent were advanced. At Gateway, 20 percent of the boys were proficient in math and 10 percent were advanced, while 19 percent of the girls were proficient and 8 percent were advanced in the standardized tests.

In English language arts, about 30 percent of both males and females tested proficient in English at Gateway, while 18 percent of females were considered advanced and while just 10 percent of males were.

At Ruder, 35 percent of males tested proficient in English and 36 percent were advanced. Forty-five percent of girls were proficient while 39 percent were advanced.

By the time they reached high school, females outnumber males in advanced placement classes 83 to 55 overall. However more boys were in AP calculus (14) than girls (6).

That number may be higher for boys because of career choices, noted principal Scott Gaiser — more girls are going into the medical field, where chemistry has a greater emphasis. The number of girls in AP chemistry was much higher than the boys — 17 to 6.

Females outnumbered males in honors diplomas in 2018, with 10 girls and seven boys. Girls also did better in standardized tests.

In 2018, girls had a composite average of 19.7 on the ACT test, while boys had a 18.1.

That year may have been a class anomaly, however, as in 2016, both genders averaged a 19.5.

More males took industrial tech classes than females, 69-19, but they were more evenly matched when it came to kitchen cuisine, with girls outnumbering boys just 40-32.

In leadership roles, girls far outnumbered boys, with 16 girls in student council and no boys at the high school and 28 girls and just six boys in student council at the junior high. That’s likely because both schools have an application process, rather than simply holding elections, both Gaiser and junior high principal Dave Wick surmised.

More boys were in sports overall, but the numbers are skewered because 62 males played football, but no females did. No females wrestled, either.

The numbers focused on 2018, so they’re a snapshot of a single year and a single class and were compiled at the request of the board.