Summary:
The city of Ridgely, Tennessee has only one middle school, Lara Kendall Elementary, which serves students in grades 5-8. Located in the Lake County school district, this school has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of middle schools in Tennessee, with a statewide ranking of 498 out of 583 for the 2024-2025 school year.
Lara Kendall Elementary faces significant challenges, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 18.9% and test scores that are well below the state averages across all subjects and grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, only 9.8% of students were proficient or better in mathematics, compared to the state average of 42.2%. While the school's spending per student is above the state average at $13,399, this higher funding does not appear to be translating into improved academic outcomes for students.
Despite the school's relatively low student-teacher ratio of 9.6 to 1, which is better than the state average, Lara Kendall Elementary has struggled to improve its performance over the years. The school's location in a low-performing district, along with the likelihood of a high percentage of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, may be contributing factors to its poor academic performance. Addressing these underlying challenges will be crucial for the school to provide a better educational experience for its students.
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