Summary:
The 63867 zip code is home to a single public elementary school, Matthews Elementary, which serves grades PK-5 and is part of the New Madrid County R-I school district. While the school's small size of 141 students may offer some advantages, the data suggests Matthews Elementary is facing significant challenges, with declining performance, high poverty and absenteeism rates, and underperformance in core academic subjects.
Matthews Elementary's chronic absenteeism rate of 25.5% is notably higher than the state average, and the school's proficiency rates in mathematics and science are well below state levels, with only 13.4% of 4th graders and 17.5% of 5th graders proficient or better in math, and 26.2% of 5th graders proficient or better in science. Additionally, the school's statewide ranking has dropped from 33 out of 901 Missouri elementary schools in 2020-2021 to 778 out of 906 in 2023-2024, indicating a concerning trend of declining performance.
Despite the school's academic challenges, Matthews Elementary spends a relatively high amount per student ($14,765) compared to the state average. This raises questions about the efficient allocation of resources and the need for targeted interventions to address the root causes of the school's underperformance, which appears to be closely linked to the high-poverty, at-risk student population it serves, with 100% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.
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