West Middle School

West Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in the Sioux City Community School District in Sioux City, Iowa, with 854 students. The school has consistently been ranked in the bottom third of Iowa middle schools, receiving a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past several years.

West Middle School faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 21.6% to 37.7% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average and the rates of nearby schools like East Middle School (21.6%) and North Middle School (21.6%). The school's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are also consistently lower than the state averages and the scores of nearby schools. Additionally, West Middle School has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 48.03% to 70.98% over the past few years, significantly higher than the rates at nearby schools like Woodbury Central Middle School (33.62%).

However, West Middle School's relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13.4 to 14.9 over the past few years, could be an asset if the school can effectively leverage this resource to provide more individualized support and interventions for struggling students. Addressing the high chronic absenteeism rates and implementing targeted strategies to improve academic outcomes could be areas of focus for the school. While West Middle School's performance is lower than nearby schools, it is important to note that the school's test scores are still generally higher than the statewide averages, particularly in 8th-grade ELA and Science, suggesting that there may be room for improvement.