Summary:
The city of Martin, South Dakota is home to three schools that serve students from elementary through high school: Bennett County Elementary School - 03, Bennett County High School - 01, and Bennett County Middle School - 06. These schools, which are part of the Bennett County School District 03-1, are consistently underperforming compared to state averages across a range of metrics, including test scores, attendance, graduation rates, and socioeconomic factors.
The data reveals that all three schools have significantly lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics compared to the state average. For example, in 2023-2024, Bennett County Elementary School - 03 had only 20.83% of students proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 50.04%. The high school, Bennett County High School - 01, performed better in ELA (70.58% proficient) but struggled in Math (17.65% proficient) for 11th graders. Additionally, Bennett County Middle School - 06 had a very high chronic absenteeism rate of 37.7% in 2023-2024, significantly above the state average.
The schools in Martin, South Dakota also face challenges related to graduation and dropout rates. Bennett County High School - 01 had a concerning 4-year graduation rate of only 57.5% in 2023-2024 and a dropout rate of 7.1%, which is quite high. Furthermore, all three schools had 100% of their students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a very high-poverty student population. The overall poor performance of these schools suggests a significant need for improvement and intervention to address the underlying issues and provide equitable educational opportunities for the students in this community.
Thank you for your feedback!