The child population of Newport County is decreasing more than double the rate of the state of Rhode Island, while elementary and high school students are generally outperforming the rest of the state on standard testing for reading and math.
These findings were included in Kids Count’s recently released community profiles. Kids Count, which advocates for children and families, measured various factors centered around economic well-being, health, safety, early childhood and k-12 education. WhatsUpNewp extracted materials for Newport County communities – Newport, Middletown, Little Compton, Jamestown, Tiverton and Portsmouth – and overall statistics for Rhode Island.
We looked at some key areas, from overall child population to test scores, number of multi-language learners, and more. For most areas, Kids Count measured results from 2021 to 2025, with the exception of childhood population, which from 1990 to 2020.
Kids Count data was extracted from a number of state and federal sources. Here are some of the key findings:
Kids Count – Newport County Communities
Kids Count: A Look at Newport County Communities
By Frank Prosnitz • Data: Rhode Island Kids Count community profiles
Child Population, 1990–2020
| Community | 1990 | 2020 | % Change |
|---|
| Newport | 5,756 | 3,660 | -36% |
| Middletown | 4,676 | 3,487 | -25% |
| Little Compton | 750 | 568 | -24% |
| Jamestown | 1,123 | 871 | -22% |
| Portsmouth | 4,175 | 3,444 | -18% |
| Tiverton | 3,166 | 2,723 | -14% |
| Rhode Island | 225,690 | 209,785 | -7% |
Cost of Rent, 2021–2025
| Community | 2021 | 2025 | % Change |
|---|
| Newport | $1,837 | $2,194 | 19% |
| Middletown | $2,034 | $2,388 | 17% |
| Rhode Island | $2,090 | $2,358 | 13% |
| Portsmouth | $2,112 | $2,433 | 15% |
| Tiverton | $2,016 | $2,146 | 7% |
| Little Compton | No information | | |
| Jamestown | No information | | |
Babies Born, 2021–2025
| Community | 2021 | 2025 | % Change |
|---|
| Jamestown | 28 | 33 | 18% |
| Little Compton | 15 | 14 | 7% |
| Tiverton | 71 | 74 | 4% |
| Newport | 189 | 193 | 2% |
| Rhode Island | 9,892 | 9,476 | -4% |
| Portsmouth | 119 | 114 | -4% |
| Middletown | 141 | 122 | -13% |
K-12 Students Receiving Special Education Services (Percent Enrolled)
| Community | 2021 | 2025 | % Change |
|---|
| Newport | 19% | 24% | 5% |
| Little Compton | 12% | 22% | 10% |
| Tiverton | 17% | 21% | 24% |
| Middletown | 18% | 21% | 17% |
| Jamestown | 12% | 19% | 58% |
| Rhode Island | 16% | 18% | 2% |
| Portsmouth | 14% | 16% | 2% |
Students Who Are Multilingual Learners
| Community | 2021 | 2025 | % Change |
|---|
| Newport | 16% | 21% | 31% |
| Rhode Island | 11% | 16% | 46% |
| Middletown | 5% | 10% | 100% |
| Little Compton | 0% | 2% | 200% |
| Portsmouth | 1% | 2% | 0% |
| Tiverton | 1% | 1% | 0% |
| Jamestown | 0% | 0% | 7% |
Third Graders Meeting Expectations in Reading
| Community | 2021 | 2025 | % Change |
|---|
| Jamestown | 82% | 79% | 11% |
| Little Compton | 78% | 74% | -5% |
| Portsmouth | 54% | 60% | 11% |
| Tiverton | 62% | 58% | -7% |
| Middletown | 48% | 59% | 23% |
| Rhode Island | 40% | 37% | -0.07% |
| Newport | 27% | 20% | -26% |
Third Graders Meeting Expectations in Math
| Community | 2021 | 2025 | % Change |
|---|
| Tiverton | 54% | 74% | 37% |
| Jamestown | 72% | 70% | -3% |
| Little Compton | 83% | 68% | -18% |
| Portsmouth | 22% | 63% | 189% |
| Middletown | 31% | 56% | 81% |
| Rhode Island | 25% | 38% | 52% |
| Newport | 11% | 24% | 118% |
Eighth Graders Meeting Expectations in Reading
| Community | 2021 | 2025 | % Change |
|---|
| Little Compton | 52% | 79% | 52% |
| Jamestown | 59% | 72% | 22% |
| Portsmouth | 43% | 61% | 42% |
| Tiverton | 45% | 49% | 1% |
| Middletown | 23% | 43% | 87% |
| Rhode Island | 29% | 35% | 21% |
| Newport | 17% | 10% | -41% |
Eighth Graders Meeting Expectations in Math
| Community | 2021 | 2025 | % Change |
|---|
| Jamestown | 53% | 80% | 51% |
| Little Compton | 24% | 57% | 138% |
| Portsmouth | 25% | 47% | 88% |
| Tiverton | 28% | 36% | 28% |
| Middletown | 25% | 36% | 44% |
| Rhode Island | 16% | 26% | 63% |
| Newport | 5% | 6% | 20% |
Chronic Absences in High School
| Community | 2021 | 2025 | % Change |
|---|
| Tiverton | 14% | 20% | 43% |
| Portsmouth | 16% | 15% | -1% |
| Middletown | Data unavailable | | |
| Rhode Island | 35% | 29% | -17% |
| Newport | 31% | 42% | 35% |
| Jamestown | Not applicable | | |
| Little Compton | Not applicable | | |
High School Graduation Rate
| Community | 2021 | 2025 | % Change |
|---|
| Portsmouth | 95% | 97% | -2% |
| Middletown | 80% | 90% | 13% |
| Tiverton | 91% | 88% | -3% |
| Rhode Island | 84% | 86% | 2% |
| Newport | 82% | 74% | -10% |
| Jamestown | Not applicable | | |
| Little Compton | Not applicable | | |
College Enrollment (Percent of Grads Immediately Enrolling)
| Community | 2021 | 2025 | % Change |
|---|
| Middletown | 65% | 74% | 14% |
| Portsmouth | 74% | 72% | -3% |
| Tiverton | 67% | 64% | -4% |
| Rhode Island | 59% | 62% | 5% |
| Newport | 45% | 52% | 16% |
| Jamestown | Not applicable | | |
| Little Compton | Not applicable | | |
