Summary:
William Southern Elementary is a public elementary school located in Independence, Missouri, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of around 430. The school is part of the Independence 30 school district, which is ranked 235 out of 376 districts in Missouri and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.
William Southern Elementary has a more diverse student population compared to the nearby schools, with a higher percentage of African American (30.23%) and Hispanic (15.58%) students. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by MAP test scores, is generally lower than the state and district averages, particularly in mathematics. For example, in 2022-2023, only 36% of 3rd graders, 15.3% of 4th graders, and 45.3% of 5th graders were proficient or better in mathematics, compared to the state averages of 41.1%, 43.8%, and 39.1%, respectively. This may be due to the high percentage of students (around 72%) who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a higher proportion of students from low-income families. The school also has a higher student-teacher ratio (18.8 in 2022-2023) compared to the nearby schools, such as Sycamore Hills Elementary and John W. Luff Elementary, which have generally higher academic performance and lower percentages of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.
Despite the overall lower academic performance, William Southern Elementary's African American students have performed exceptionally well, ranking 36th out of 185 Missouri elementary schools in 2022-2023 and 1st out of 163 in 2020-2021 for this subgroup. However, the school's statewide ranking has declined over the years, from 284th out of 1,052 Missouri elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 506th out of 898 in 2022-2023, suggesting that the school may be struggling to keep up with the academic performance of other schools in the state. To improve overall academic outcomes, the school and Independence 30 district may need to focus on targeted interventions and additional resources to support the unique needs of its diverse student population.
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Detail:
Public PK, KG-5
District:
Independence 30
SchoolDigger Rank:
506th of 898 Missouri Elementary Schools
Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,108
Students who attend William Southern Elementary usually attend:
Student/teacher ratio: 18.8
Number of students: 430
Racial breakdown:
White:
41.6%
African American:
30.2%
Hispanic:
15.6%
more
Two or more races:
9.1%
Pacific Islander:
1.9%
Asian:
1.2%
American Indian:
0.5%
Free/discounted lunch recipients: 72.8%
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