Black Hawk Elementary

Black Hawk Elementary is a public elementary school in Kahoka, Missouri, serving 368 students in grades K-5 as part of the Clark County R-I school district. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Missouri elementary schools, with academic performance on state assessments generally below the state and district averages across grade levels and subject areas. Compared to the nearby Running Fox Elementary, also in the Clark County R-I district, Black Hawk Elementary has significantly lower proficiency rates in Math and English Language Arts.

Black Hawk Elementary serves a high-poverty student population, with 55-59% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch over the past few years. This socioeconomic factor likely contributes to the school's lower academic performance. Additionally, the school has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 16.7% to 19.8% over the past few years, which may also be impacting student learning and achievement. While the district has increased resources and support for the school, with a steady increase in per-student spending and an improvement in the student-teacher ratio, these investments have not yet translated into significant improvements in academic performance.

The stark contrast in academic performance between Black Hawk Elementary and Running Fox Elementary, which are both in the same district, suggests that there may be opportunities for the district to learn from the practices and strategies employed at the higher-performing school and apply them to improve outcomes at Black Hawk Elementary. A more comprehensive and targeted approach to addressing the underlying challenges faced by Black Hawk Elementary, such as socioeconomic status and chronic absenteeism, may be needed to drive meaningful improvements in student learning and achievement.