Chariton Middle School

Chariton Middle School is a public middle school in Chariton, Iowa, serving 288 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Chariton Community School District, which is ranked 237 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Chariton Middle School faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 21.6% to 28.4% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's academic performance has been mixed, with some areas, such as 8th grade Science, performing better than the state, while others, like 8th grade Mathematics, have struggled. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 54.51% to 56.49%, indicating a relatively high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Interestingly, the nearby Southeast Warren Intermediate School, which serves grades 4-6, has generally outperformed Chariton Middle School on standardized tests, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics. This suggests that the students at Southeast Warren Intermediate may be better prepared for the academic challenges of middle school. Chariton Middle School's high spending per student, at $13,356 for the 2018-2019 school year, also indicates that the school may need to re-evaluate its funding priorities and allocation strategies to better support student success.