Summary:
Clifford H. Nowlin Middle is a public middle school located in Independence, Missouri, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 875 students. The school is part of the Independence 30 school district, which is ranked 236 out of 386 districts in Missouri and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Clifford H. Nowlin Middle has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Missouri middle schools, with a ranking between 362 and 538 over the past 10 years, and has received a 1-star or 0-star rating from SchoolDigger during this time.
The school faces significant challenges in terms of academic performance, with its students consistently scoring below state and district averages on standardized tests. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 7.8% of 8th-grade students were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 30.6% statewide and 7.5% in the Independence 30 district. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with its African American, white, English Language Learner, special education, and low socioeconomic status students all performing in the bottom quarter or third of Missouri middle schools. Additionally, Clifford H. Nowlin Middle has had high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 31.7% to 38.1% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.
When compared to nearby middle schools in the Independence 30 district and surrounding areas, Clifford H. Nowlin Middle generally performs worse academically, with lower MAP test scores and lower rankings among Missouri middle schools. For example, Bridger Middle, which is also in the Independence 30 district, outperforms Clifford H. Nowlin Middle in both Mathematics and English Language Arts at the 6th-grade level. Despite the school's relatively high spending per student, its academic performance remains poor, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be enough to improve student outcomes without addressing other underlying issues, such as instructional quality, school climate, and support for at-risk students.
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Detail:
Public 6-8
District:
Independence 30
SchoolDigger Rank:
362nd of 451 Missouri Middle Schools
Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,704
Students who attend Clifford H. Nowlin Middle usually attend:
Feeder schools for Clifford H. Nowlin Middle:
Student/teacher ratio: 16.4
Number of students: 886
Racial breakdown:
White:
40.9%
Hispanic:
35.1%
African American:
16.1%
more
Two or more races:
6.3%
Asian:
0.9%
Pacific Islander:
0.5%
American Indian:
0.2%
Free/discounted lunch recipients: 83.1%
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