Summary:
The Houston R-I school district in Missouri has only one middle school, Houston Middle School, which serves grades 6-8. The data shows that this school has consistently underperformed compared to other middle schools in the state, ranking in the bottom half of Missouri middle schools over the past few years.
Houston Middle School's academic performance on standardized tests is below the state average in most subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of students proficient or better in Math ranged from 28% (6th grade) to 36.6% (8th grade), compared to the state average of 32.7% to 45.5%. The school's performance in English Language Arts is also below the state average, with proficiency rates ranging from 23.4% (6th grade) to 44.6% (7th grade), compared to the state average of 39.3% to 39.4%. Additionally, the school's performance in 8th grade Science is slightly below the state average, with 33.3% of students proficient or better compared to the state average of 39.2%.
Despite the school's higher per-student spending of $10,748 for the 2021-2022 school year, which is above the state average, the academic performance remains below par. This suggests that simply allocating more resources may not be the sole solution, and the school may need to examine how resources are being utilized and explore other strategies to improve student outcomes. Additionally, the school serves a population with a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, at 58.54% in the 2023-2024 school year, which may contribute to the academic challenges faced by the school.
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