Summary:
The city of Grinnell, Kansas is home to two schools: Grinnell Grade School, an elementary school, and Grinnell Middle School. While Grinnell Grade School is outperforming the Grinnell Public Schools district and the state of Kansas in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency, Grinnell Middle School is struggling, with proficiency rates well below the district and state averages.
Grinnell Grade School has relatively high proficiency rates, with 41.66% of students proficient in both ELA and Mathematics in the 2023-2024 school year, compared to 24.12% and 15.51% for the district, and 33.55% and 31.6% for the state. In contrast, Grinnell Middle School's proficiency rates were only 19.56% in ELA and 8.69% in Mathematics during the same period. Furthermore, the middle school's performance has declined over the past few years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 212 out of 368 Kansas middle schools in 2021-2022 to 320 out of 362 in 2023-2024, and its SchoolDigger star rating decreasing from 2 to 1.
The significant performance gap between the elementary and middle schools in Grinnell, as well as the declining performance of the middle school, warrant further investigation. Factors such as changes in leadership, curriculum, or teaching staff may be contributing to the middle school's struggles. Additionally, the high spending per student at Grinnell Middle School, coupled with its low performance, suggests that the school may not be utilizing its resources effectively. Exploring ways to collaborate with neighboring districts or implement innovative approaches could help address these challenges and improve educational outcomes for students in the Grinnell area.
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