Summary:
The city of Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina is home to two public schools: East Columbus Junior-Senior High (grades 7-12, 594 students) and Thomas Academy (grades 6-12, 71 students). While both schools serve the local community, they exhibit stark contrasts in their academic performance and student demographics.
East Columbus Junior-Senior High has consistently ranked in the bottom half of North Carolina high schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's test scores are generally below the state and district averages, particularly in mathematics and biology. Additionally, the school has an extremely high rate of free/reduced lunch recipients at 99.49%, indicating a high-poverty student population. In contrast, Thomas Academy, a public charter school, has seen fluctuations in its state-wide ranking, ranging from 425th to 619th out of 626 North Carolina high schools. The school's test scores are mixed, with some areas performing better than the state average, while others are significantly below.
One notable difference between the two schools is the student-teacher ratio. Thomas Academy has a lower ratio of 8.2 students per teacher, compared to 15.5 students per teacher at East Columbus Junior-Senior High. This smaller class size may contribute to the school's mixed academic performance, as it can provide more individualized attention and support for students. Overall, the data highlights the importance of considering various factors, such as socioeconomic status, school resources, and teaching practices, when analyzing and understanding the performance of schools within a district or state.
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