Student Performance Analyzer

A command-line Python tool that loads a class gradebook from a CSV file and analyzes student performance: individual averages, class rankings, subject averages, passing rates, and which students need extra help.

Features

• Student lookup: view a student's grade in one subject or their overall average
• Rankings: list students from highest to lowest average, or lowest to highest
• Class averages: overall class average or the average for a single subject
• Passing percentage: share of students at or above the passing grade (70 by default)
• Students needing help: everyone below passing, with their averages
• Save or exit: save the gradebook to a new CSV, or quit without saving

Requirements

• Python 3.6 or newer
• No external packages; it uses only Python's built-in csv module

Getting Started

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/MichaelTM0/student-performance-analyzer.git
   cd student-performance-analyzer

2. Make sure a students.csv file is in the same folder (a sample is included).

3. Run the program:

   python students_performance.py

CSV Format

The program expects a students.csv file with a header row and these columns:

name,math,science,english
Alice,92,88,95
Bob,65,70,58
Carla,78,82,74
Dev,55,60,62

If students.csv isn't found, the program starts with an empty gradebook.

Usage

When the program starts, it shows a menu:

==================================================
1. Average grade
2. Highest student
3. Lowest student
4. Class average
5. Passing percentage
6. Students needing help
7. Save and exit
8. Exit without saving
Choose one of the eight available options (1-8):

Example output for option 2 (Highest student):

Students sorted by average, highest to lowest:
  Alice: 91.67
  Carla: 78.00
  Bob: 64.33
  Dev: 59.00

Example output for option 6 (Students needing help):

Students below passing who may need help:
  Bob: 64.33
  Dev: 59.00

Configuration

Two constants at the top of students_performance.py control the program's settings:

PASSING_GRADE = 70.0
SUBJECTS = ["math", "science", "english"]

To change the passing grade, edit PASSING_GRADE. To track another subject, add it to SUBJECTS and add a matching column to the CSV; averages adjust automatically.

How It Works

• Each CSV row is loaded as a dictionary using csv.DictReader, with column headers as keys.
• A single helper function, calculate_average(), computes each student's average across all subjects, and every feature reuses it.
• Rankings use Python's built-in sorted() with calculate_average as the sort key.
• Saving writes the gradebook to New_student.csv with csv.DictWriter.

Future Improvements

• Add, edit, and remove students from within the program
• Handle missing or invalid grades without crashing
• Letter grades (A–F) alongside numeric averages
• Export reports or charts of class performance

What I Learned

• Working with CSV data as dictionaries (keys and values)
• Writing reusable helper functions instead of repeating logic (DRY)
• Sorting complex data with sorted() and a key function
• Using constants for program settings
• Debugging syntax, runtime, and logic errors

Author

Michael Murchie

• GitHub: @MichaelTM0
• LinkedIn: michael-murchie