Summary:
The city of Vandalia, Missouri is home to two schools: Van-Far Elementary and Van-Far Junior/Senior High, both part of the Van-Far R-I school district. While Van-Far Elementary has shown improvement in its statewide ranking in recent years, Van-Far Junior/Senior High has experienced a significant decline, dropping from the 86th ranked high school in Missouri in 2018-2019 to the 313th ranked in 2023-2024.
Academically, Van-Far Elementary generally performs around the state average on standardized tests, with some areas of strength and weakness. In contrast, Van-Far Junior/Senior High struggles significantly, with most subject areas well below the state average, particularly in 8th grade math and Biology I. Both schools have high chronic absenteeism rates, at 11.4%, which is higher than the state average.
The Vandalia community faces significant economic challenges, with both schools having high rates of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, at 53.44% for Van-Far Elementary and 50.38% for Van-Far Junior/Senior High. Despite the relatively high spending per student at both schools, the academic performance does not seem to be commensurate with the level of funding, suggesting that factors beyond just funding, such as instructional quality, school leadership, and resource allocation, may be playing a role in the schools' performance.
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