Goodrell Middle School

Goodrell Middle School is a public middle school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 493 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Des Moines Independent Community School District, which is ranked 306 out of 313 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Goodrell Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Iowa middle schools over the past 10 years, with a ranking between 315 and 337 out of 324 to 349 schools.

Goodrell Middle School faces significant challenges, including extremely high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 21.6% to 44.4% over the past few years, well above the state average and the rates of nearby schools like Brody Middle School, Meredith Middle School, and Weeks Middle School. The school's test scores on the ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) are also consistently well below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts ranging from 34.6% to 55.7%, compared to the state averages of 72.8% to 80.2%.

Despite the relatively high per-student spending of $15,696 at Goodrell Middle School, the school's performance continues to lag behind its peers. This suggests that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution, and that a more comprehensive approach to addressing the school's challenges, such as the high rates of chronic absenteeism and free/reduced lunch, may be necessary. Additionally, the fact that all the middle schools within the Des Moines Independent Community School District are ranked in the bottom 10% of Iowa middle schools, with 0-star ratings, indicates that there may be broader, district-level challenges that need to be addressed.