Elected school board members and the handful of residents who attended the Tuesday meeting of the state board of control in Duquesne City School District did not get any information on the future of the district, but they did get a report on how Duquesne students are faring at East Allegheny and West Mifflin Area high schools.

According to a report from educational liaison Barbara McDonnell, among the East Allegheny students who attended Duquesne, nine of the original 23 eighth-graders to transfer there in 2007-08 after Duquesne High School was closed by the state stayed for the full four years and graduated in June 2011. However, there was a total of 20 Duquesne students who graduated from East Allegheny in June 2011. The others transferred to the school after the original group.

Of the nine original eighth-grade students who graduated, eight went to college and one went to work.

Of the other 16 original eighth-graders who came to East Allegheny, 12 moved, two withdrew, one never attended and there was no information on the other.

There were 47 original eighth-graders who made up the first class of freshmen to attend West Mifflin Area High School in 2007. Of that group, 25 students remained for four years and graduated in June 2011. The total number of Duquesne students to graduate from West Mifflin in June 2011 was 48.

Among the original 25 who graduated, 12 went to college, one to the military, four went to work and eight provided no information.

Of the remaining 22 original eighth grade students who went to West Mifflin Area, 11 moved, four withdrew, three enrolled in a diploma retrieval program, two were court placed and two were runaways.

Ms. McDonnell said there are 70 Duquesne students assigned to East Allegheny High School and seven of those attend Forbes Road Vocational Technical School.

At West Mifflin Area, there are 153 students attending high school, with 17 of those attending Steel Valley Vocational Technical School.

Ms. McDonnell said the students presently in eighth grade at Duquesne Elementary/Middle School chose high schools Feb. 15 and that no lottery was needed for the assignment and all students got their first choices.

Representatives from West Mifflin Area and East Allegheny will return to Duquesne in March to help students select their courses for next year.

High school principals from West Mifflin Area and East Allegheny also provided reports on the Duquesne students. Numbers of students in their reports varied somewhat from those in Ms. McDonnell's report.

But Ms, McDonnell said during her presentation that the Duquesne population is highly mobile and the student count varies from day to day.

"Our mobility rate is off the charts. These numbers are correct today; they may not be tomorrow," Ms. McDonnell said.

The report, provided by East Allegheny Principal Don MacFann, said no Duquesne students were enrolled in Advanced Placement courses and one is enrolled in honors courses,

West Mifflin Area Prinicipal Phillip Woods said five Duquesne students are enrolled in AP courses, 20 are in honors courses and 11 are on the honor roll.

Newly appointed board of control member Tricia Gennari asked both principals to provide a more detailed report on the academic progress of Duquesne students. Also interested in that information was elected school director Connie Lucas.

Ms. Lucas also made a point at the meeting to blast the board of control and current administration of the school for the low academic performance of the elementary and middle school students.

She said she believed it was time for a charter school organization to take over the district.

There was no comment from the board of control members. Board Chairman Francis Barnes, appointed in January, participated in the meeting by phone -- as he did last month.

State officials have announced that the Duquesne Elementary/Middle School cannot exist in its current form next year because of its poor academic performance. But no information on what will happen to the district's students has been provided.

Two options that have been mentions are transferring the school to a charter school organization or sending the elementary and middle school students to neighboring district as the high school students are sent. Both options would require state legislation.

First Published: March 1, 2012, 10:30 a.m.