Best Public Schools in Marissa, IL

The city of Marissa, Illinois is home to two schools - Marissa Elementary School and Marissa Junior & Senior High School, both part of the Marissa CUSD 40 district. While the high school appears to be the stronger performer, both schools face significant challenges in academic achievement, attendance, and resource allocation.

Marissa Junior & Senior High School outperforms Marissa Elementary School across most metrics, including a higher statewide ranking, better test scores, higher graduation rates, and lower dropout rates. The high school's English Language Arts test scores are particularly strong, with 66.7% of students proficient or better, compared to the district and state averages of 45.6% and 53.1% respectively. In contrast, Marissa Elementary School struggles with low test scores, especially in mathematics, where only 20.5% of students were proficient or better, compared to the district average of 21.3% and state average of 38.5%.

Both schools face challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates of 25.4% and relatively high spending per student, coupled with low test scores, raising questions about the efficient allocation of resources and the effectiveness of the district's educational strategies. The student-teacher ratio at Marissa Elementary School is notably lower than the high school, which could indicate a need to re-evaluate staffing and resource distribution across the district. Addressing these issues should be a top priority for the Marissa CUSD 40 district to ensure all students receive a high-quality education.