Summary:
The Bessemer Area School District in Michigan operates two schools: Washington School, an elementary school, and AD Johnston Jr-Sr High School. Both schools have relatively small enrollments of around 175 students each and serve a community with high levels of economic disadvantage.
Washington School stands out as an underperforming elementary school, consistently ranking in the bottom half of Michigan schools and struggling with low proficiency rates on state assessments, particularly in math. The school has a very high chronic absenteeism rate of 29.5% and an extremely high percentage of students (83.71%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch. In contrast, AD Johnston Jr-Sr High School performs slightly better, with a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger and a graduation rate of 82.8%, though its proficiency rates and dropout rate are still areas of concern.
Across both schools, the Bessemer Area School District faces significant challenges in terms of student achievement, with proficiency rates well below state averages in core subjects like English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. The high poverty levels in the district, as evidenced by the large proportion of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, likely contribute to these academic struggles. While the district appears to be directing more resources to the elementary level, with higher per-student spending at Washington School, this has not yet translated into improved outcomes for students.
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