Middle Schools in Cedar Rapids Community School District

The Cedar Rapids Community School District in Iowa is home to 7 middle schools serving grades 6-8. These schools vary in their academic performance, with Harding Middle School and Taft Middle School standing out as the highest-performing in the district. Meanwhile, schools like Wilson Middle School and McKinley STEAM Academy lag behind in test scores and other key metrics.

Harding Middle School is the clear standout, with the highest test scores across ELA and math proficiency for grades 6-8. Taft Middle School also performs well, with the second-highest ELA proficiency rates in the district. In contrast, the Cedar Rapids Virtual Academy Middle has significantly lower test scores than the brick-and-mortar schools, suggesting the virtual model may not be as effective for middle school students in this area.

The data also reveals concerning trends, such as consistently high chronic absenteeism rates of 21.6% across all schools, and a clear correlation between poverty and lower academic performance. Schools with the highest percentages of free/reduced lunch students, like Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy and Franklin Middle School, tend to have the lowest test scores. This highlights the need for the district to address equity and resource allocation to ensure all students have access to a high-quality education.