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Poplar Bluff Middle School

Public Grades 4-6

Summary

Poplar Bluff Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 4-6 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, with an enrollment of 970 students. The school is part of the Poplar Bluff R-I school district, which is ranked 202 out of 367 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Poplar Bluff Middle School faces several key challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23.5% to 27.6% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's test scores in Mathematics, Science, and English Language Arts are generally below the state and district averages, with proficiency rates in Mathematics ranging from 28.6% to 44.2%, compared to the state average of 38.2% to 45.5%. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 71.96% to 74.21% over the past few years, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When comparing Poplar Bluff Middle School to nearby schools, some interesting patterns emerge. Poplar Bluff Junior High, which is in the same district, has slightly better test scores and a lower chronic absenteeism rate than Poplar Bluff Middle School. Puxico Junior High, a school in a neighboring Puxico R-VIII district, has lower chronic absenteeism rates and generally higher test scores than Poplar Bluff Middle School, despite being in a lower-ranked district. Qulin Middle School, another nearby school, has mixed performance, with some stronger test scores in certain subjects but lower overall academic achievement compared to Poplar Bluff Middle School.

932

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,168

Per pupil spending ?

73.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1300 Victory Lane
Poplar Bluff, MO 63901-8960

(573) 785-5566

District: Poplar Bluff R-I

Students who attend Poplar Bluff Middle School usually attend:

High:

Poplar Bluff High

Feeder schools for Poplar Bluff Middle School:

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

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.4%

African American:

10.2%

Two or more races:

8.9%

See top rated Missouri public schools

Compare Poplar Bluff Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 41st percentile in 2015 → 51st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg42%

Missouri avg43%

439^th of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Top 49%▲ up 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 41% (2015) to top 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary 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	51.9	439 of 900	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.5	402 of 906	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.5	474 of 898	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.0	442 of 908	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.9	494 of 901	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.9	577 of 1052	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.1	638 of 1045	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.8	670 of 1032	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.6	609 of 865	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	45.4	628 of 1058	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	52.9	526 of 1089	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	49.7	609 of 1108	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	60.6	439 of 1085	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	63.2	394 of 1088	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.2	377 of 1066	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	56.3	455 of 1053	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	53.9	499 of 1084	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	41.7	704 of 1080	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	36.9	773 of 1074	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	46.9	84 of 190	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.0	65 of 191	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.0	96 of 185	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.7	79 of 184	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.7	114 of 163	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.1	92 of 250	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.7	101 of 243	58.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2022	28.7	89 of 103	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.2	66 of 81	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.3	158 of 302	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.6	135 of 251	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	54.7	54 of 91	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	38.8	79 of 120	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	71.7	124 of 638	80.6%	★★★★☆
2024	66.2	141 of 625	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	64.2	150 of 611	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	65.9	111 of 532	79.1%	★★★★☆
2021	58.8	173 of 574	69.9%	★★★★☆
2019	48.2	457 of 907	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.6	631 of 887	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2024	60.9	1 of 4	75.0%	★★★★★
2023	27.8	4 of 5	20.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.4	4 of 6	33.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	19.6	5 of 6	16.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	30.0	32 of 41	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.9	29 of 32	9.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	33.0	74 of 97	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.0	90 of 101	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	100 of 107	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	41.1	416 of 666	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.0	356 of 668	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.1	408 of 673	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.9	389 of 675	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.8	433 of 691	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.1	572 of 917	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.6	599 of 898	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)81st percentile+29 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)75th percentile+19 vs school

African American (2025)56th percentile+5 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2019)41st percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)38th percentile-14 vs school

Hispanic (2019)34th percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2025)24th percentile-28 vs school

Disabled (2022)14th percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

Science42%~ state avg

English Language Arts42%~ state avg

Mathematics39%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Poplar Bluff Middle School

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 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
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
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 Middle School

What high school do graduates of Poplar Bluff Middle School attend?

Students who attend Poplar Bluff Middle School usually go on to attend Poplar Bluff High

How many students attend Poplar Bluff Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 932 students attended Poplar Bluff Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Poplar Bluff Middle School?

Students at Poplar Bluff Middle School are 77% White, 10% African American, 9% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

What district is Poplar Bluff Middle School in?

Poplar Bluff R-I

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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.