Computer Use in Schools

The percentage of children using computers in the classroom.

Why Is This Important? While the jury is still out on exactly how best to integrate technology into the classroom, many believe computers and the Internet can play a key role in improving education. And while this indicator may not reflect outcomes in the short run, it may in the long run help boost education levels. In the meantime, the use of information technology in America's schools is growing. The percentage of schools with at least one Internet connection has increased rapidly, from 35 percent in 1994 to over 95 percent in 1999. The percentage of classrooms with Internet access has gone from 3 percent in 1994 to 63 percent in 1999.18

The Rankings: Somewhat surprisingly, the metro areas where kids are most likely to use computers in school appear to be older, industrial metros in the Midwest. In contrast, some "high-tech" metros, such as San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and Salt Lake City, score much lower. It's possible that political leaders in the former metros may more clearly recognize that the IT revolution is an important key to their future prosperity and that it is essential to properly train the next generation of workers.

		100th-76th Percentile
		75th-51st Percentile
		50th-26th Percentile
		25th-1st Percentile

METRO AREAS BY RANK
Rank	Metro Area	Score
1	Louisville	81%
2	St. Louis	80%
3	Pittsburgh	79%
4	Milwaukee	79%
5	Rochester	79%
6	Charlotte	77%
7	Indianapolis	77%
8	Austin	76%
9	Minneapolis	76%
10	Cleveland	75%
11	Kansas City	75%
12	San Diego	74%
13	Dallas	74%
14	Washington	74%
15	Cincinnati	72%
16	Orlando	72%
17	Detroit	72%
18	Memphis	71%
19	Columbus	70%
20	Dayton	70%
21	Atlanta	69%
22	Sacramento	69%
23	Miami	68%
24	Chicago	68%
25	Raleigh-Durham	68%
26	Buffalo	68%
27	San Francisco	68%
28	Oklahoma City	67%
29	Nashville	67%
30	Portland	67%
31	Philadelphia	67%
32	Hartford	65%
33	Boston	65%
34	Norfolk	64%
35	Denver	64%
36	Salt Lake City	64%
37	Houston	63%
38	San Antonio	63%
39	Greensboro	63%
40	Jacksonville	63%
41	New York	63%
42	Seattle	62%
43	New Orleans	61%
44	Richmond	60%
45	Phoenix	60%
46	Grand Rapids	58%
47	Los Angeles	58%
48	Las Vegas	57%
49	Tampa	56%
50	West Palm Beach	49%
	U.S. Average	63%
	Top 50 Metro Average	67%

ALPHABETICALLY
Metro Area	Rank	Score
Atlanta	21	69%
Austin	8	76%
Boston	33	65%
Buffalo	26	68%
Charlotte	6	77%
Chicago	24	68%
Cincinnati	15	72%
Cleveland	10	75%
Columbus	19	70%
Dallas	13	74%
Dayton	20	70%
Denver	35	64%
Detroit	17	72%
Grand Rapids	46	58%
Greensboro	39	63%
Hartford	32	65%
Houston	37	63%
Indianapolis	7	77%
Jacksonville	40	63%
Kansas City	11	75%
Las Vegas	48	57%
Los Angeles	47	58%
Louisville	1	81%
Memphis	18	71%
Miami	23	68%
Milwaukee	4	79%
Minneapolis	9	76%
Nashville	29	67%
New Orleans	43	61%
New York	41	63%
Norfolk	34	64%
Oklahoma City	28	67%
Orlando	16	72%
Philadelphia	31	67%
Phoenix	45	60%
Pittsburgh	3	79%
Portland	30	67%
Raleigh-Durham	25	68%
Richmond	44	60%
Rochester	5	79%
Sacramento	22	69%
Salt Lake City	36	64%
San Antonio	38	63%
San Diego	12	74%
San Francisco	27	68%
Seattle	42	62%
St. Louis	2	80%
Tampa	49	56%
Washington	14	74%
West Palm Beach	50	49%

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The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI)
Technology, Innovation, and New Economy Project
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