Sweet Springs R-Vii

The Sweet Springs R-Vii school district in Missouri consists of two schools: Sweet Springs Elementary and Sweet Springs High. While the high school has maintained a relatively strong statewide ranking, the elementary school has seen a significant decline in its performance, dropping from the top 15% of Missouri elementary schools to the bottom 40% in just a few years.

The data reveals that Sweet Springs Elementary has a student population that is predominantly white (97.14%), with a relatively high free/reduced lunch rate of 47.14%. In contrast, Sweet Springs High has a more diverse student body, with 94.79% white, 2.08% African American, 2.08% Hispanic, 0.52% Native American, and 0.52% Pacific Islander, and a lower free/reduced lunch rate of 35.42%. Interestingly, while the elementary school students perform significantly below the state average in both Math and English Language Arts, the high school students outperform the state average in Math for grades 7 and 8.

The consistent per-student spending and student-teacher ratios between the two schools suggest that resource allocation is not a significant driver of the performance differences observed. The data analysis points to the need for further investigation into the factors contributing to the declining performance at Sweet Springs Elementary, such as changes in curriculum, teaching quality, or student demographics, in order to address the challenges faced by the elementary school and ensure that all students in the Sweet Springs R-Vii district receive a high-quality education.