Summary:
The Des Moines Independent Community School District operates 10 middle schools serving grades 6-8. This district, located in the heart of Iowa's capital city, faces significant challenges in providing quality education to its students, as evidenced by the overall low performance of its middle schools compared to the state average.
Among the district's middle schools, Merrill Middle School stands out as the top performer, ranking 209th out of 344 Iowa middle schools and consistently earning a 2-out-of-5-star rating from SchoolDigger. Merrill Middle School outperforms the district and state averages in test scores across all subjects and grade levels, and has the lowest percentage of free and reduced lunch recipients at 36.41%. Meredith Middle School is the second-highest performer in the district, ranking 322nd in the state and maintaining above-average test scores, particularly in English Language Arts.
However, the majority of the district's middle schools struggle with low academic achievement, high chronic absenteeism rates, and socioeconomic disparities. Schools like Harding Middle School and Hiatt Middle School consistently have the lowest proficiency rates in the district, and the district as a whole is ranked 306th out of 313 in Iowa, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. These challenges suggest that the Des Moines Independent Community School District faces significant hurdles in providing a high-quality education to its middle school students.
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