Summary
Evans Middle School is a public middle school located in Ottumwa, Iowa, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 689 students. The school is part of the Ottumwa Community School District, which is ranked 299 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.
Evans Middle School faces significant challenges in terms of student engagement, academic achievement, and socioeconomic factors. The school has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.6% to 30.7%, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school's test scores on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are consistently lower than the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 8th-grade proficiency rates were 63% in English Language Arts, 50% in Mathematics, and 45.9% in Science, compared to the state averages of 80.2%, 74.4%, and 70.5%, respectively. The school also has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 46.51% to 52.1% over the past few years.
When comparing Evans Middle School to the nearby Albia Middle School, Davis County Middle School, and Cardinal Junior High, it becomes evident that Evans Middle School is underperforming in several key areas. The nearby schools generally have higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism rates, and lower percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. Additionally, over the past several years, Evans Middle School's statewide ranking has steadily declined, from 292 out of 318 Iowa middle schools in 2017-2018 to 326 out of 344 in 2024-2025, suggesting that the school's performance is not improving and may be falling further behind its peers.
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