Summary:
The city of New Madrid, Missouri is home to three public schools serving grades K-12: Central High School, Central Middle School, and New Madrid Elementary, all part of the New Madrid County R-I school district. Unfortunately, the data paints a picture of a struggling school district, with all three schools performing well below state averages on key metrics like test scores and statewide rankings.
Central High School has seen a decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from 169th out of 352 Missouri high schools in 2022-2023 to 316th out of 367 in 2024-2025, and its SchoolDigger rating has also dropped from 3 stars to 1 star. Central Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of Missouri middle schools, with a ranking of 388th out of 438 in 2024-2025 and a 1-star rating. New Madrid Elementary has also struggled, ranking 661st out of 900 Missouri elementary schools in 2024-2025 and receiving a 1-star rating.
Across all three schools, student proficiency rates on state assessments (MAP tests) are significantly below the state averages, often by 20 percentage points or more. For example, in 2024-2025, only 10.5% of Central High School students were proficient or better in Algebra I, compared to the state average of 45.4%. Central Middle School's proficiency rates in Math and English Language Arts for grades 6-8 ranged from 7.8% to 22.5%, well below the state averages, and New Madrid Elementary's Math and ELA proficiency rates for grades 3-5 were also low, with the highest being 55% proficient in 4th grade Math. Additionally, all three schools had 100% of their students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage in the district.
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