Summary:
The Bessemer Area School District in Michigan has only one elementary school, Washington School, which serves students from kindergarten through 6th grade. While the school has a predominantly white student population, it has faced declining performance in recent years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 601 out of 1,344 Michigan elementary schools in 2021-2022 to 757 out of 1,486 in 2023-2024.
Academically, Washington School's performance is mixed compared to district and state averages. The school outperforms the state in some grade levels and subjects, such as 3rd and 4th-grade English Language Arts, but underperforms in others, like 5th and 6th-grade ELA and across all grade levels in math. Additionally, the school has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 37.3%, which is significantly higher than the state average, and a large percentage (76.84%) of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.
Despite these challenges, Washington School has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 11.5 to 1, which is generally considered a positive factor for student learning and engagement. However, the school's performance is often below the district average, suggesting that there may be room for improvement in aligning the school's curriculum and instructional practices with the district's standards and expectations. Addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism and the impact of socioeconomic factors on academic achievement should be priorities for the school and district.
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