Summary:
The Pekin Community School District in Iowa serves students from elementary through high school, with two schools in the district - Pekin Elementary School and Pekin Community Junior/Senior High School. The district is ranked 170 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.
Pekin Elementary School stands out for its consistently strong test scores, with a high percentage of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and Mathematics across grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, 84.2% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 67.9%. The high school also demonstrates impressive ELA scores, with 89.2% of 7th graders and 88.6% of 8th graders proficient or better in 2024-2025, well above the state averages. However, the high school has a slightly lower graduation rate of 88.3% compared to the state average.
Both schools face challenges, such as a high chronic absenteeism rate of 21.6% and a significant population of economically disadvantaged students, with free/reduced lunch rates of 45.54% at the elementary school and 42.51% at the high school. The difference in per-student spending between the elementary and high school may suggest a need to examine how resources are allocated across the district to ensure equity and meet the needs of all students.
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