Summary:
Bentley Community School District in Michigan has only one middle school, Bentley Middle School, which serves students in grades 6-8. The school's academic performance is consistently below the district and state averages, with low test scores and a high chronic absenteeism rate, indicating significant challenges in providing a high-quality education to its students.
Bentley Middle School has a small enrollment of 152 students, with a predominantly White student population (72.37%) and a high percentage of students (90.79%) eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a high level of economic disadvantage. The school's academic performance, as measured by M-STEP and PSAT test scores, is significantly below the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with only 14% of 6th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 37.5%.
Despite the school's higher-than-average per-student spending of $13,963 and a student-teacher ratio of 17.6, which is slightly higher than the recommended ratio for middle schools, Bentley Middle School's academic performance remains poor. This indicates that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution, and the district may need to examine how resources are being allocated and utilized within the school to support student learning and achievement. Addressing the root causes of the school's high chronic absenteeism rate, which stands at 47.3%, could also be an important area of focus for the district.
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