Adair County

Adair County has five schools—two elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools—serving 2,585 students, or an average of 517 per school; Adair Learning Academy is much smaller, with 67 students. The Elementary, Middle, and High schools have recent test results, while the Primary Center has no scores in the data and the Academy’s scores are suppressed, so there is no common test basis for comparing all five. The clearest overall takeaway is that the Elementary School’s results improved relative to the state, but its fifth-grade writing score remains a pronounced weakness.

Among the available 2025–2026 results, the Middle School stands out most consistently: its nine results averaged 1 percentage point above state results, including grade 6 math at 57% versus 42% and reading at 60% versus 54%. The Elementary School averaged about even with the state, but results ranged from grade 5 writing at 10%—25 points below the state—to editing and mechanics at 55%, 7 points above. The High School averaged 1 point below the state, though its 98% graduation rate was 4 points higher. SchoolDigger gives the Elementary and Middle schools three stars and the High School two.

Results and rankings have moved in different directions across schools. The Elementary School’s average gap shifted from 3 points below the state in 2024–2025 to about even in 2025–2026; the High School moved from slightly above to 1 point below. SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile rose 12 points for the Elementary School and 16 for the Middle School, while the High School slipped 1 point. Absenteeism is a concern at the Middle and High schools: 33% and 34%, respectively, compared with 24% statewide. For context, the four larger schools reported 66% to 71% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025, and their student-teacher ratios ranged from 13.4 to 14.7; these figures alone do not explain differences in results.