Best Public Schools in Cardwell, MO

The city of Cardwell, Missouri is home to two schools, Southland Elementary and Southland High, both of which serve a high-poverty student population and consistently underperform compared to state averages across key metrics.

Neither Southland Elementary nor Southland High can be considered standout schools, as both have ranked in the bottom 10-15% and 30-40% of Missouri elementary and high schools, respectively, with low proficiency rates in Math and English Language Arts. The schools also struggle with high chronic absenteeism rates of over 24%, indicating significant challenges in student engagement and attendance.

Despite higher-than-average spending per student, the Cardwell schools have failed to translate that funding into improved academic outcomes. This suggests that simply increasing resources may not be the sole solution, and that a more comprehensive approach targeting the underlying issues facing the high-poverty student population may be necessary to drive meaningful improvements in the schools' performance.