2009.01.09
Which school has the dirtiest air in Southwest Roanoke County?
Before we tell you the answer, a bit of background: Late last year, USA Today compiled a huge database of every school in the country -- and the air quality around each one. You can read more about the report on our Datasphere site of searchable data. USA Today called its report "The Smokestack Effect," because the problem is not the schools themselves, but what's being spewed out in the air around them.
If you dig around in the data -- and we now have -- here's what you find:
North Cross School has the dirtiest air in Southwest Roanoke County. They each measure in the 23rd percentile nationally, which means the air is worse at 28,401 schools across the nation.
Who has the best air?
That honor belongs to Clearbrook Elementary. It measures in the 61st percentile nationally, which means the air is worse at 78,185 schools across the nation.
You can check out the schools in Southwest Roanoke County here. When you get there, you can click on the name of each school and get a more detailed report of what's in the air. (Note: If you're looking for Bent Mountain Elementary, you'll find it here -- that's because the database is assembled by address, and Bent Mountain has, well, a Bent Mountain address, while the others in Southwest Roanoke County have a Roanoke address.) Bent Mountain, by the way, ranks in the 36th percentile nationally.
Thoughts? You can leave a comment below.
