Bueker Middle

Bueker Middle School is a public middle school in Marshall, Missouri, serving 520 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Marshall School District, which is ranked 290 out of 367 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Bueker Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Missouri middle schools, with student performance on standardized tests significantly below state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of students proficient or better in Mathematics ranged from 14.4% for 8th grade to 45.4% for 7th grade, compared to the state averages of 32.7% and 43.2%, respectively. The school also experiences high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 15.8% to 19.7% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

Interestingly, the nearby Northwest 5th Grade Center, which is also part of the Marshall School District, shows similar performance challenges, with lower test scores and higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to state averages. This suggests that the issues at Bueker Middle School may be part of a broader, systemic problem within the district. Despite increased spending per student at Bueker Middle School, from $8,601 in 2019-2020 to $10,448 in 2021-2022, these investments have not translated into improved student outcomes, indicating that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution to the school's challenges.