Summary:
South Union Elementary School is a public elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa, serving 442 students from kindergarten to 5th grade as part of the Des Moines Independent Community School District. The school faces significant challenges, with consistently lower academic performance and a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger compared to the district and state averages.
South Union Elementary School has a diverse student population, with 26.47% White, 23.3% African American, 29.86% Hispanic, 11.76% Asian, 0.9% Native American, and 7.69% two or more races. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by ISASP test scores, is consistently lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, the school's 3rd-grade English Language Arts proficiency rate was 38.5%, compared to 43.1% for the district and 64.2% for the state. The school has also consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Iowa elementary schools, with a ranking of 528 out of 557 schools in the 2023-2024 school year.
Despite the school's low academic performance, South Union Elementary School has a relatively high per-student spending of $14,822 for the 2018-2019 school year, which is higher than the state average. The school also has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 10.9 to 12.1 over the past three school years. These factors suggest that the challenges faced by the school may lie in areas beyond just funding and resources, such as curriculum, instructional strategies, or school climate. Comparing the school to nearby Jefferson Elementary School, which has significantly higher proficiency rates and a higher statewide ranking, highlights the need for a comprehensive review of the educational strategies and resources at South Union Elementary School to address the underlying issues and improve student outcomes.
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