Summary:
The city of Belle, Missouri is home to two schools - Belle Elementary and Belle High, both part of the Maries County R-II school district. While Belle Elementary has consistently performed well, ranking in the top 25% of Missouri elementary schools, Belle High has seen a decline in its performance, dropping to the bottom 30% of Missouri high schools.
Belle Elementary stands out for its strong academic performance, with students outperforming the state and district averages in both Math and English Language Arts. The school maintains a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and has a very high free/reduced lunch rate of 98.55%, indicating a high-need student population. In contrast, Belle High has struggled with test scores, particularly in Algebra I, where proficiency rates are well below the state average. However, the high school maintains a relatively high 4-year graduation rate of 92.5% and a low dropout rate of 2.3%.
Both schools face challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates of 18.3%, which may be impacting student learning and achievement. The difference in free/reduced lunch rates between the elementary and high school could indicate a shift in the socioeconomic makeup of the student population as they progress through the education system. Addressing these attendance and socioeconomic challenges could be key focus areas for the district to improve overall student outcomes across both schools.
Thank you for your feedback!