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Poplar Bluff Junior High

Q: Is Poplar Bluff Junior High a good school?

Poplar Bluff Junior High ranks 282 nd of 438 Missouri middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

282^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 438 Missouri Middle Schools

Better than 36% of Missouri middle schools

Summary

Poplar Bluff Junior High is a public middle school serving around 750 students in grades 7-8 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, which is part of the Poplar Bluff R-I school district. The school's performance has fluctuated over the years, with its statewide ranking ranging from 101 out of 454 middle schools in 2020-2021 to 282 out of 438 in the current 2024-2025 school year, both with 2-star ratings.

While the school's overall academic performance, as measured by MAP test scores, is generally below the state averages, it has shown some strengths, such as its Algebra I end-of-course performance, which is notably higher than the district and state averages. However, the school faces challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 24.2% to 27.7%. Additionally, the school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with some, like disabled students, performing exceptionally well, while others, like special education students, struggling more.

Compared to the nearby Poplar Bluff Middle School, Poplar Bluff Junior High has a slightly lower student-teacher ratio and spends around $9,800 per student, which is slightly higher than the state average. These differences, along with the school's unique challenges and strengths, suggest the need for targeted interventions and a comprehensive review of its educational strategies to address the specific needs of its diverse student population and improve overall academic outcomes.

735

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,215

Per pupil spending ?

63.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

550 N Westwood
Poplar Bluff, MO 63901-4720

(573) 785-5602

District: Poplar Bluff R-I

Students who attend Poplar Bluff Junior High usually attend:

High:

Poplar Bluff High

Feeder schools for Poplar Bluff Junior High:

Elementary:	Eugene Field Elementary
	Lake Road Elementary
	Oak Grove Elementary
	O'Neal Elementary
	More...
	Poplar Bluff Kindergarten Center

Racial breakdown:

White:

75.4%

African American:

11.0%

Two or more races:

9.1%

See top rated Missouri middle schools

Compare Poplar Bluff Junior High to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 78th percentile in 2021 → 36th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Missouri average (33% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 78th-percentile peak (2021) to 36th (2025)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg31%

Missouri avg41%

282^nd of 438

Missouri public middle schools ?

Bottom 36%▲ up 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 22% (2015) to bottom 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

202^nd of 367Poplar Bluff R-I among Missouri districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	38.8	282 of 438	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.9	173 of 451	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.6	224 of 459	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.7	180 of 459	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.6	101 of 454	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	39.0	375 of 587	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.8	392 of 552	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	33.7	416 of 568	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	36.3	314 of 435	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	29.4	459 of 585	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	32.3	498 of 633	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	46.8	379 of 649	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.6	383 of 623	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	43.6	404 of 625	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	44.2	405 of 614	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.0	392 of 601	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	45.0	406 of 624	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	48.2	360 of 624	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	37.3	476 of 619	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	32.5	105 of 143	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.0	66 of 144	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.1	44 of 153	71.2%	★★★★☆
2022	68.7	38 of 148	74.3%	★★★★☆
2021	88.8	7 of 135	94.8%	★★★★★
2019	46.1	77 of 149	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2022	71.7	31 of 187	83.4%	★★★★☆
2021	89.3	8 of 195	95.9%	★★★★★
2019	74.5	29 of 204	85.8%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	48.8	83 of 121	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.7	54 of 104	48.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	49.1	176 of 369	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.4	81 of 378	78.6%	★★★★☆
2023	63.5	93 of 382	75.7%	★★★★☆
2022	69.1	71 of 365	80.5%	★★★★☆
2021	80.0	38 of 371	89.8%	★★★★★
2019	41.4	295 of 482	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.0	261 of 422	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	34.9	26 of 48	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.4	23 of 51	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.5	23 of 44	47.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.1	29 of 45	35.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	24.1	158 of 196	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.6	86 of 194	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.0	73 of 192	62.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	32.3	257 of 358	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	55.4	147 of 379	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.1	203 of 385	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.1	162 of 381	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.7	105 of 376	72.1%	★★★★☆
2019	34.0	367 of 527	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	337 of 479	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Disabled (2022)83rd percentile+23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)52nd percentile+17 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)46th percentile+10 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2019)31st percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)28th percentile-7 vs school

African American (2025)27th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2025)19th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I61%+15 vs state

English Language Arts35%-6 vs state

Science30%-9 vs state

Mathematics29%-9 vs state

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Schools Near Poplar Bluff Junior High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAP Mathematics (2025)					MAP Science (2025)		MAP English Language Arts (2025)					MAP Algebra I (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAP Science 5th Grade	MAP Science 8th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAP Algebra I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Poplar Bluff Junior High	Public	7-8	550 N Westwood	Poplar Bluff	63901	Butler County	Poplar Bluff R-I	No	No	No	No	(573) 785-5602	735	56	13.1	63.7%	554 (75.4%)	81 (11.0%)	27 (3.7%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	67 (9.1%)	38.8	282^nd of 438 public middle schools	35.6%		58.9	173^rd of 451 public middle schools	61.6%	109				36.1	21.3		29.9				37.0	32.2	60.6	$11,215	$1,532	$9,684
Poplar Bluff Middle School	Public	4-6	1300 Victory Lane	Poplar Bluff	63901	Butler County	Poplar Bluff R-I	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 785-5566	932	74	12.5	73.1%	721 (77.4%)	95 (10.2%)	24 (2.6%)	7 (0.8%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (8.9%)								(n/a)	44.2	28.6	44.2			42.1		44.5	42.8	38.2				$11,168	$1,746	$9,423
Qulin Middle	Public	4-8	406 Connecticut St.	Qulin	63961	Butler County	Twin Rivers R-X	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 328-4444	129	12	10.7	57.4%	120 (93.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.3%)								(n/a)		54.5	21.8		24.2									$11,757	$954	$10,804
Puxico Junior High	Public	6-8	481 N Bedford St	Puxico	63960	Stoddard County	Puxico R-VIII	No	No	No	No	(573) 222-3058	176	13	13.2	52.8%	171 (97.2%)	2 (1.1%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	43.8	249^th of 438 public middle schools	43.2%		58.7	177^th of 451 public middle schools	60.8%	72			30.3		49.9		26.8			25.9	38.4			$9,844	$420	$9,423

Frequently Asked Questions about Poplar Bluff Junior High

What is the racial makeup of Poplar Bluff Junior High?

Students at Poplar Bluff Junior High are 75% White, 11% African American, 9% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

How many students attend Poplar Bluff Junior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 735 students attended Poplar Bluff Junior High.

What district is Poplar Bluff Junior High in?

Poplar Bluff R-I

Is Poplar Bluff Junior High a good school?

Poplar Bluff Junior High ranks 282^nd of 438 Missouri middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Poplar Bluff Junior High attend?

Students who attend Poplar Bluff Junior High usually go on to attend Poplar Bluff High

Rate Poplar Bluff Junior High!

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Schools in Poplar Bluff, MO

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.