Summary:
Zip code 66071 has four schools serving prekindergarten through grade 12: Cottonwood Elementary, Sunflower Elementary, Paola Middle, and Paola High; together they enroll 1,732 students. Test results were supplied for three schools, not Cottonwood. Most importantly, the three reporting schools’ average proficiency results are above state levels in all three subjects: by 12 points in English language arts (ELA), 7 points in math, and 14 points in science.
Sunflower stands out in ELA and math, with 63% and 55% proficient, respectively; its results are 9 and 10 points above the other two reporting schools’ average in each subject. Paola Middle leads in science at 55%, 5 points above the other schools’ average, but has the lowest ELA result at 50% and the lowest math result at 45%. Paola High has the lowest science result, 50%. Grade-level results also show strong state comparisons: Sunflower’s fifth-grade ELA is 70%, 19 points above the state, and Paola High’s 11th-grade science is 50%, 20 points above.
Recent results improved most at Paola High: ELA rose 16 points and math 12 points from the prior year. Sunflower gained 9 points in math and 2 in ELA, while its science result fell 4 points; Paola Middle gained 7 points in science. SchoolDigger ranks Paola High 37th of 340 schools, up from 129th the previous year; Sunflower is 174th of 657, and Paola Middle is 92nd of 368. Attendance is another point of comparison: chronic absenteeism ranges from 9% at Sunflower to 17% at Paola High, with all four schools below the 18% state rate. Ratios range from 12.8 to 14.1 students per teacher, and free/reduced-lunch rates range from 31% to 41%; these figures describe school context, not what explains achievement.
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