Summary:
The city of Olympia Fields, Illinois is home to two schools - Rich Township High School and Arcadia Elementary School. Both schools have consistently ranked in the bottom half of their respective state rankings over the past three years, indicating significant academic challenges for students in the area.
Rich Township High School, the only high school in the data set, has a large enrollment of 2,487 students. However, its academic performance is concerning, with only 3.7% of 11th graders proficient or better in SAT Math and 9.9% proficient or better in SAT English Language Arts. The school also faces high chronic absenteeism (48.2%) and a dropout rate of 4.8%, despite a relatively high 4-year graduation rate of 84.5%. Arcadia Elementary School, the sole elementary school, has similarly low academic performance, with only 22.9% of students proficient or better in IAR English Language Arts and 17.5% proficient or better in IAR Math.
Socioeconomic factors may be contributing to the academic struggles observed in both schools, as evidenced by the high rates of free/reduced lunch recipients (71.01% at Rich Township High School and 56.58% at Arcadia Elementary School). Additionally, the significant difference in spending per student between the high school ($31,652) and the elementary school ($17,514) suggests that resource allocation may not be equitable across the Rich Township HSD 227 and Matteson Education Service District 162. Addressing these challenges through targeted interventions, resource allocation, and community engagement could be crucial for improving educational outcomes in Olympia Fields.
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