Summary:
The city of Bennington, Kansas is home to two schools: Bennington Elementary and Bennington Junior High/High School, both part of the Twin Valley school district. While Bennington Elementary has consistently ranked in the top 30% of Kansas elementary schools over the past 3 years, Bennington Junior High/High School has seen a decline in its performance, with its ranking dropping from 118 out of 327 schools in 2022-2023 to 222 out of 318 schools in 2023-2024.
Bennington Elementary stands out as the stronger performer, with significantly higher test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science compared to the district and state averages. The school has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 14:1, which likely contributes to its academic success. In contrast, Bennington Junior High/High School has a 3-star rating and its test scores are generally lower than the district and state averages, particularly in Mathematics and Science.
Both schools have relatively high rates of free/reduced lunch recipients, indicating a significant population of students from low-income households. This socioeconomic factor may be impacting the schools' performance, though the consistent spending per student at both schools suggests that funding is not a significant driver of the performance gap. Further analysis and investigation into the specific factors contributing to the differences in performance between the elementary and secondary levels could provide valuable insights for improving educational outcomes across the district.
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