Summary:
The city of Bigfork, Minnesota is home to two schools - Bigfork Elementary and Bigfork Secondary, which serve students from elementary through high school. While the schools share some similarities, such as high rates of free and reduced lunch recipients, they also exhibit distinct differences in areas like academic performance and student diversity.
Bigfork Secondary stands out for its improved statewide ranking, moving from 229th out of 472 Minnesota high schools in 2021-2022 to 166th out of 480 in 2023-2024, placing it in the top third of high schools in the state. Additionally, the school has shown strong reading proficiency, with 70% of 10th graders scoring proficient or better on the MCA-III Reading assessment, significantly outperforming the district and state averages. In contrast, Bigfork Elementary has a more diverse student population, with 15.93% of students identifying as non-White, compared to Bigfork Secondary's predominantly White student body.
Both schools face challenges, with mixed performance on the MCA-III assessments and high rates of free and reduced lunch recipients, indicating significant socioeconomic challenges in the Grand Rapids Public School District. However, the data also suggests that Bigfork Secondary is making progress, which could provide valuable insights for the district and other schools in the area as they work to address the unique needs of their students and ensure equitable access to high-quality education.
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