Summary:
The Kansas City 33 school district in Missouri contains 21 elementary schools serving students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade. The district faces significant challenges, with most schools demonstrating low academic performance and high rates of poverty and chronic absenteeism among the student population.
A few schools stand out as high-performing, including Foreign Language Academy, which excels on metrics like 3rd grade math proficiency, and John T. Hartman Elementary, which ranks among the top 340 elementary schools in Missouri. Another top performer is Hale Cook Elementary, which has impressive science proficiency rates. These magnet and specialized schools demonstrate that targeted programs and resources can lead to significantly better outcomes for students.
However, the majority of schools in the district struggle, with wide disparities in academic performance. Many schools have extremely high rates of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating high levels of poverty. Chronic absenteeism is also a major concern, with the district-wide rate reaching 55%. While spending per student is relatively high, the low performance of many schools suggests that simply increasing funding may not be enough to address the systemic challenges facing the Kansas City 33 school district.
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