The program is part of the state’s Racial Imbalance Act, which promotes racial and ethnic diversity in public schools.
The report, the first detailed look at Metco student performance in nearly 10 years, found that more than 90 percent of the students graduate and go to college and that they score higher on standardized tests than students at the urban schools they left behind.
More than half of Metco students, who board buses and trains every morning as early as 6 a.m., are from low-income families. Three-fourths are African-American or Latino.
Often, they go to schools where at least 90 percent of the students are white, the report said, and in several districts, nearly the entire African-American and Latino student populations are Metco students.
“It is not clear why Metco, which is popular among families, has a strong track record and established commitment within local communities, receives little to no public endorsements and continues to suffer budget cuts,’’ authors Susan Eaton and Gina Chirichigno wrote in the report.
The authors called on Massachusetts to consider expanding the program and its funding. Currently, school districts receive about $4,900 per Metco student.
They also urged the state to give suburban districts more incentives to enroll Metco students, since the program’s enrollment capacity depends on which districts volunteer.
“We’re thankful for all that [Metco has] accomplished,’’ Jonathan Palumbo, spokesman for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said in an e-mail. “We have . worked hard to protect the funding that they receive.’’
Right now, Metco is funded through three sources: an allotment from the state for each pupil, currently $3,100 a year; reimbursements to districts for transportation costs; and Chapter 70 state money, given to districts based on how many students are enrolled.
Metco’s budget fell from $20.2 million in 2008 to $16.5 million in 2011. “We’re not the only ones who received reductions in light of the crisis over the last couple of years,’’ said Metco associate director John M. Shandorf. “But I have to feel optimistic that we’ll recoup that money.’’
