Summary:
The Benton City, Washington area is home to three schools - Kiona-Benton City Elementary, Kiona-Benton City High School, and Kiona-Benton City Middle School - all part of the Kiona-Benton City School District. Unfortunately, the data shows these schools are consistently underperforming, with low test scores, graduation rates, and other key metrics well below state averages.
Across all three schools, proficiency rates on state assessments are shockingly low, often 20-30 percentage points behind Washington state averages. For example, only 18.73% of students at Kiona-Benton City Elementary were proficient in ELA, compared to the state average of 52.63%. The high school also struggles, with a graduation rate of just 81.8% and a dropout rate of 16.1%. Additionally, these schools serve extremely high-poverty populations, with 78-92% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.
Despite higher-than-average per-student spending, the Kiona-Benton City schools are clearly facing systemic challenges that are impacting student outcomes across the board. The data suggests potential equity issues as well, with the high school being much less racially diverse than the elementary and middle schools. Overall, the Benton City school system appears to be in dire need of significant improvements to provide a quality education for all students.
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