Summary:
The Kannapolis City Schools district in North Carolina is home to 6 elementary schools serving students from diverse backgrounds, with high rates of economic disadvantage. While the district as a whole struggles, with all schools ranking in the bottom half of the state, Jackson Park Elementary stands out as a clear outlier, performing at a much higher level than its peers.
Jackson Park Elementary earns 4 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger and significantly outperforms the district and state averages on standardized test scores across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2023-2024, 85.5% of 3rd graders at Jackson Park were proficient or better in math, compared to just 50.7% for the district and 62.7% for the state. In contrast, schools like GW Carver Elementary and Shady Brook Elementary, which have the highest rates of economic disadvantage, also have the lowest test scores.
The wide range in per-student spending, from $9,913 to $14,411, across the Kannapolis City Schools district raises questions about funding equity and whether additional resources are being directed to the highest-need schools. Further investigation would be needed to fully understand the factors driving Jackson Park's success and identify strategies to replicate it across the district.
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