ACHIEVEMENT

The 150 US public schools most underperforming their demographics

Name: The 150 US public schools most underperforming their demographics
Creator: allk12
Published: 2026-05-25T03:22:58.374Z
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords: achievement, public schools, K-12, NCES

Schools where actual proficiency lags what their student profile would predict, ranked by gap.

May 25, 2026

KEY FINDING

BeatsExpectations also surfaces the opposite case: schools where actual test-score proficiency falls notably short of what a per-state regression predicts from their free-and-reduced-lunch share. Being on this list is a relative measure, not a verdict. It is a starting question for school boards and community advocates: given the students this school serves, why is it producing fewer points than peer-state schools serving similar students?

Schools in this report

150

bottom of the residual within their state

Worst residual

-67.3pp

below demographic prediction

Method

FRL-adjusted

per-state regression

TOP 150 US PUBLIC SCHOOLS UNDERPERFORMING DEMOGRAPHIC EXPECTATIONS

School	State	City	% FRL	% Proficient	Expected	Gap (pp) ↑
Aliquippa JSHS	Pennsylvania	Aliquippa	0.6%	10.1%	77.3%	-67.25
Aliquippa El Sch	Pennsylvania	Aliquippa	0.6%	12.1%	77.3%	-65.22
Early College Academy	Ohio	Columbus	43.9%	9.0%	72.2%	-63.26
Corinth High School	Mississippi	CORINTH	56.7%	6.3%	67.4%	-61.15
BUFFALO COMMONS CHARTER SCHOOL	New York	BUFFALO	2.6%	13.5%	74.0%	-60.53
R.I.S.E Academy at the John M. Langston Campus	Virginia	Danville	62.0%	13.5%	71.2%	-57.73
ONTECH CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL	New York	SYRACUSE	1.2%	17.2%	74.6%	-57.39
BUFFALO CREEK ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL	New York	BUFFALO	23.3%	9.3%	66.4%	-57.16
Options Westfield	Indiana	Carmel	5.2%	15.6%	71.8%	-56.23
Woodlands School - State Street Campus	Wisconsin	Milwaukee	9.1%	16.6%	72.0%	-55.44
WESTERN NEW YORK MARITIME CHARTER SCHOOL	New York	BUFFALO	14.8%	14.6%	69.5%	-54.96
Shoals Middle School	Indiana	Shoals	2.4%	19.4%	73.8%	-54.44
East Orange Campus High School	New Jersey	EAST ORANGE	8.5%	7.8%	61.5%	-53.73
Sandridge Elem School	Illinois	Lynwood	6.6%	14.2%	67.7%	-53.51
John L. Costley Middle School	New Jersey	EAST ORANGE	9.9%	7.6%	60.8%	-53.17
Laboratory CS	Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	39.3%	8.9%	60.8%	-51.91
North Rowan High	North Carolina	Spencer	0.5%	26.9%	78.7%	-51.84
Cascade Public Schools	Washington	Des Moines	20.6%	14.8%	66.4%	-51.52
Life Male STEAM Academy CS	Pennsylvania	Pittsburgh	43.6%	8.2%	58.9%	-50.7
Patrick F. Healy Middle School	New Jersey	EAST ORANGE	14.0%	8.3%	58.5%	-50.21
ACADEMY OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS	Texas	FORT WORTH	2.1%	22.8%	73.0%	-50.14
SAN ANTONIO STEAM ACADEMY	Texas	SAN ANTONIO	2.2%	23.4%	72.9%	-49.5
CHAMPIONSHIP ACADEMY OF DISTINCTION AT HOLLYWOOD	Florida	HOLLYWOOD	2.7%	32.4%	79.8%	-47.46
WASHINGTON-FRANKLIN ELEM.	Missouri	FARMINGTON	53.4%	4.5%	50.3%	-45.77
TRUMAN ELEM.	Missouri	PACIFIC	49.3%	5.0%	50.4%	-45.35
Bridgeton Public Charter School	New Jersey	Bridgeton	2.8%	19.5%	64.6%	-45.1
SUNSHINE ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL	Florida	HOLLYWOOD	3.2%	34.6%	79.6%	-45.01
Necedah Middle	Wisconsin	Necedah	2.6%	31.3%	76.1%	-44.77
New Day CS	Pennsylvania	Huntingdon	64.7%	5.3%	49.9%	-44.6
Millville Public Charter School	New Jersey	Millville	15.0%	13.4%	58.0%	-44.54
Rocketship Transformation Prep	Wisconsin	Milwaukee	23.6%	18.8%	63.1%	-44.32
STE. GENEVIEVE SR. HIGH	Missouri	STE GENEVIEVE	39.6%	6.3%	50.5%	-44.28
SOMERSET ACADEMY KEY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL	Florida	MIAMI	2.0%	36.1%	80.2%	-44.07
ROBERTSVILLE ELEM.	Missouri	ROBERTSVILLE	55.8%	7.0%	50.2%	-43.23
Desert Junior-Senior High	California	Edwards	13.3%	28.4%	71.6%	-43.2
Camp Curtin Academy	Pennsylvania	Harrisburg	64.9%	6.7%	49.8%	-43.12
SCHOOL 17-ENRICO FERMI	New York	ROCHESTER	75.6%	4.3%	47.2%	-42.83
LAMAR HIGH	Missouri	LAMAR	36.6%	8.0%	50.6%	-42.58
George W. Carver Elementary	Virginia	Richmond	99.8%	18.9%	60.9%	-42.06
WOODMONT CHARTER SCHOOL	Florida	TEMPLE TERRACE	21.8%	28.3%	70.2%	-41.97
Sojourner Truth Middle School	New Jersey	EAST ORANGE	27.3%	9.3%	51.2%	-41.95
BRIDGEPREP ACADEMY OF TAMPA	Florida	TAMPA	11.3%	33.7%	75.5%	-41.83
Necedah High	Wisconsin	Necedah	2.5%	34.4%	76.1%	-41.7
PRAIRIE LEA EL	Texas	PRAIRIE LEA	62.2%	5.2%	46.7%	-41.56
California Academy of Learning CS	Pennsylvania	Coal Center	45.1%	16.9%	58.3%	-41.41
BOURBON HIGH SCHOOL	Missouri	BOURBON	38.8%	9.1%	50.5%	-41.41
Salt Lake Academy High School	Utah	HERRIMAN	5.5%	15.8%	57.1%	-41.37
WOODLAND ELEM.	Missouri	LEE'S SUMMIT	17.3%	9.7%	50.9%	-41.29
CUBA HIGH	Missouri	CUBA	45.2%	9.3%	50.4%	-41.18
BRIDGEPREP ACADEMY INTERAMERICAN CAMPUS	Florida	MIAMI	2.7%	38.7%	79.8%	-41.11
Eastside High School	New Jersey	CAMDEN	37.3%	4.6%	45.7%	-41.1
FAIR GROVE ELEM.	Missouri	FAIR GROVE	38.5%	9.5%	50.5%	-41.05
Ione Junior High	California	Ione	31.0%	20.0%	61.0%	-41.03
Mission Education Center	California	San Francisco	64.8%	0.0%	40.9%	-40.92
Jackson Charter School	Illinois	Rockford	36.2%	9.8%	50.6%	-40.81
Pleasants Lane Elementary	Virginia	Petersburg	93.1%	22.0%	62.8%	-40.75
New Urban High School	Oregon	Milwaukie	22.5%	13.3%	53.8%	-40.49
Canaan Community Academy	Indiana	Canaan	19.5%	21.3%	61.8%	-40.48
Pathways High	Wisconsin	Milwaukee	30.2%	18.8%	59.1%	-40.36
ST. CLAIR HIGH	Missouri	ST CLAIR	46.7%	10.1%	50.4%	-40.27
Burr Oak Elem School	Illinois	Calumet Park	26.2%	16.4%	56.4%	-40.03
L P QUINN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	New York	TUPPER LAKE	51.5%	16.1%	56.1%	-39.93
PRIMARY HALL PREPARATORY CHARTER SCHOOL	New York	BUFFALO	56.4%	14.5%	54.3%	-39.76
San Antonio Elementary	California	Lockwood	40.3%	15.8%	55.5%	-39.73
East Nicolaus High	California	Nicolaus	26.0%	24.3%	64.0%	-39.72
DELAWARE PRIMARY SCHOOL	New York	SYRACUSE	83.0%	4.8%	44.5%	-39.71
Prospect Park School No. 1	New Jersey	PROSPECT PARK	30.2%	10.3%	49.6%	-39.34
Newcomers High School	New Jersey	Paterson	49.1%	0.0%	39.3%	-39.31
Trenton STEM-to-Civics Charter School	New Jersey	Ewing	24.6%	13.4%	52.7%	-39.27
RANDOLPH SECONDARY	Minnesota	RANDOLPH	17.2%	16.6%	55.8%	-39.2
PHILLIPS AVENUE SCHOOL	New York	RIVERHEAD	47.3%	18.4%	57.6%	-39.17
BEXAR COUNTY ACADEMY	Texas	SAN ANTONIO	59.5%	8.8%	47.9%	-39.09
Clemente Roberto MS	Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	78.4%	5.0%	44.0%	-39.02
Addenbrooke Classical Academy	Colorado	LAKEWOOD	25.7%	12.3%	51.2%	-38.92
Delta Charter	California	Aptos	38.9%	17.5%	56.3%	-38.85
SCHOOL 39-ANDREW J TOWNSON	New York	ROCHESTER	90.6%	2.9%	41.7%	-38.81
McAdory High School	Alabama	McCalla	52.7%	6.9%	45.7%	-38.77
SEYMOUR DUAL LANGUAGE ACADEMY	New York	SYRACUSE	83.0%	5.7%	44.5%	-38.75
Lanier College and Career Academy	Georgia	Gainesville	67.5%	3.8%	42.5%	-38.74
BELLAMY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	New York	ROME	69.9%	10.7%	49.3%	-38.59
Strawberry Mansion HS	Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	79.3%	5.1%	43.6%	-38.53
KINGSTON MIDDLE	Missouri	CADET	100%	10.9%	49.4%	-38.51
Lakemont Elementary	Virginia	Petersburg	93.6%	24.1%	62.6%	-38.48
Innovative Arts Academy CS	Pennsylvania	Catasauqua	70.6%	8.9%	47.3%	-38.46
RESPONSIVE ED SOLUTIONS PREMIER HIGH SCHOOL OF SPRINGDALE	Arkansas	SPRINGDALE	25.5%	11.0%	49.3%	-38.24
PS 270 JOHANN DEKALB	New York	BROOKLYN	57.1%	15.8%	54.0%	-38.19
EXCEL Academy	Georgia	McDonough	66.7%	4.8%	42.9%	-38.12
EASTWOOD ELEM.	Missouri	MARSHALL	62.2%	12.0%	50.1%	-38.11
OQUENOCK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	New York	WEST ISLIP	22.5%	28.7%	66.7%	-38.05
OSAGE BEACH ELEMENTARY	Missouri	OSAGE BEACH	40.6%	12.5%	50.5%	-38.01
New Lisbon Junior High/High	Wisconsin	New Lisbon	6.4%	36.0%	73.7%	-37.71
BELLE ELEM.	Missouri	BELLE	47.1%	12.8%	50.4%	-37.64
Carlin Springs Elementary	Virginia	Arlington	57.5%	34.9%	72.5%	-37.57
Westside High School	Georgia	Macon	61.6%	8.0%	45.5%	-37.56
Wellstone International High	Minnesota	MINNEAPOLIS	51.2%	0.0%	37.5%	-37.54
Mahoning Valley Community School	Ohio	Youngstown	97.2%	14.6%	52.1%	-37.47
KIPP MIAMI-LIBERTY CITY	Florida	MIAMI	9.1%	39.2%	76.6%	-37.37
Koontz Elementary	North Carolina	Salisbury	92.8%	13.3%	50.5%	-37.24
WILLIAM E DELUCA JR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	New York	NORTH BABYLON	51.6%	18.8%	56.0%	-37.18
Maritime Academy of Toledo The	Ohio	Toledo	91.6%	17.0%	54.2%	-37.18
NORMANDY HIGH	Missouri	ST LOUIS	100%	12.3%	49.4%	-37.17
SCHOOL 8-ROBERTO CLEMENTE	New York	ROCHESTER	77.5%	9.3%	46.5%	-37.14
KNOB NOSTER HIGH	Missouri	KNOB NOSTER	30.4%	13.6%	50.7%	-37.13
Peirce Thomas M Sch	Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	70.0%	10.5%	47.6%	-37.09
SHERWOOD MIDDLE	Missouri	CREIGHTON	42.6%	13.5%	50.5%	-37.01
Gateway High School	Iowa	Ottumwa	62.0%	24.0%	61.0%	-36.97
Tarboro High	North Carolina	Tarboro	99.4%	11.5%	48.5%	-36.96
Mildred Barry Garvin Elementary	New Jersey	EAST ORANGE	12.7%	22.3%	59.2%	-36.93
ST. AUGUSTINE PUBLIC MONTESSORI SCHOOL	Florida	ST AUGUSTINE	5.3%	41.7%	78.5%	-36.88
BELLEVUE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	New York	SYRACUSE	79.8%	8.8%	45.7%	-36.87
Northampton County High School	North Carolina	Gaston	98.9%	11.9%	48.6%	-36.75
SOUTH SENECA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	New York	INTERLAKEN	45.5%	21.5%	58.3%	-36.74
NORTH COUNTY PARKSIDE ELEM.	Missouri	DESLOGE	57.4%	13.5%	50.2%	-36.7
Maria Montessori Academy	Utah	OGDEN	8.5%	19.1%	55.7%	-36.59
New Jerusalem	California	Tracy	48.4%	14.2%	50.7%	-36.5
GREENVILLE HIGH	Missouri	GREENVILLE	52.2%	13.9%	50.3%	-36.42
Galapagos Rockford Charter Sch	Illinois	Rockford	24.7%	20.8%	57.2%	-36.39
Adeline Montessori School Inc	Wisconsin	Oconomowoc	1.4%	40.4%	76.8%	-36.38
FAIRLEY SCHOOL	New York	HANNIBAL	52.7%	19.3%	55.6%	-36.35
Roosevelt Campus of the Norristown Area HS	Pennsylvania	Norristown	86.1%	4.3%	40.7%	-36.34
BOWLING GREEN HIGH	Missouri	BOWLING GREEN	36.2%	14.4%	50.6%	-36.21
WILLOW SPRINGS ELEM.	Missouri	WILLOW SPRINGS	71.1%	13.8%	50.0%	-36.2
Irving L. Branch Elementary	California	Edwards	17.3%	33.1%	69.2%	-36.11
Altimira Middle	California	Sonoma	42.3%	18.2%	54.3%	-36.09
SCHOOL 29-ADLAI E STEVENSON	New York	ROCHESTER	88.1%	6.7%	42.6%	-35.87
Lewis C Cassidy Academics Plus Sch	Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	71.6%	11.1%	46.9%	-35.82
DUNDEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	New York	DUNDEE	52.2%	20.0%	55.8%	-35.74
TWIN RIVERS HIGH	Missouri	BROSELEY	52.8%	14.6%	50.3%	-35.66
BROOKFIELD HIGH	Missouri	BROOKFIELD	42.8%	14.9%	50.5%	-35.59
The Nature School of Central Indiana	Indiana	Indianapolis	5.1%	36.3%	71.9%	-35.58
Intergenerational High School	Washington	Bellingham	23.4%	29.1%	64.5%	-35.47
Phoenix Academy	Pennsylvania	Lancaster	89.2%	3.9%	39.4%	-35.45
HOLDEN MIDDLE	Missouri	HOLDEN	46.5%	14.9%	50.4%	-35.45
Ruffner School	Virginia	Norfolk	93.4%	27.3%	62.7%	-35.42
NEW LIFE CHARTER ACADEMY	Florida	FORT LAUDERDALE	2.7%	44.4%	79.8%	-35.39
RISE COMMUNITY SCHOOL	New York	ROCHESTER	93.8%	5.1%	40.5%	-35.34
Starks High School	Louisiana	Starks	46.1%	15.7%	51.0%	-35.34
Flowery Elementary	California	Sonoma	34.5%	23.6%	59.0%	-35.33
Coronado Elementary	California	Richmond	63.2%	6.5%	41.9%	-35.32
Veterans Memorial Family School	New Jersey	CAMDEN	47.3%	5.0%	40.3%	-35.3
Sipsey Valley High School	Alabama	Buhl	41.6%	18.5%	53.7%	-35.25
LITERACY/LEADERSHIP/TECHNOLOGY ACADEMY	Florida	TAMPA	8.7%	41.6%	76.8%	-35.22
GANSEVOORT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	New York	ROME	79.6%	10.5%	45.7%	-35.18
Magnolia Union Elementary	California	Brawley	13.3%	36.4%	71.6%	-35.16
Russell County High School	Alabama	Seale	45.0%	16.1%	51.3%	-35.16
Saint Clair County High School	Alabama	Odenville	47.5%	14.3%	49.4%	-35.13
GOODWATER MONTESSORI SCHOOL	Texas	GEORGETOWN	36.2%	22.9%	58.1%	-35.11
Provident CS	Pennsylvania	Pittsburgh	52.6%	20.0%	55.0%	-35.08
NORTH MIDDLE	Missouri	FLORISSANT	100%	14.4%	49.4%	-35.05
FLANDERS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	New York	MALONE	46.0%	23.0%	58.1%	-35.03

150 of 150 rows · Each school is compared against the per-state regression of proficiency on FRL share. "Gap" is the residual in percentage points: how many points below demographically-predicted proficiency. A negative gap does not mean a school is "bad" in an absolute sense, only that it is producing fewer points than peer-state schools with similar student profiles.↓ Download schools-underperforming-expectations.csv

Reading this list carefully

The schools listed here score notably below what their demographics would predict. They are not the lowest-scoring schools in the country in absolute terms. They are schools whose proficiency rates fall in the bottom 10% within their state after controlling for free-and-reduced-lunch share.

This is a more useful frame than raw rankings for two reasons. First, a wealthy suburban school posting 70% proficient may still be a relative underperformer if its peer-state schools at the same FRL share post 82%. Second, a high-poverty school at 30% proficient may be performing as expected (or even better) given its student profile. The list below isolates schools where actual outcomes lag the prediction.

What being on this list does and does not mean

Being a relative underperformer is a signal, not a verdict. The school may be in the middle of a leadership transition. It may have absorbed a recent enrollment shift that hasn't fully shown up in the FRL share. It may be working through curriculum or staffing problems that take three to five years to surface in test scores. None of those make the school "bad." They mean the school is currently producing fewer points than peer-state schools with similar student profiles are producing.

Families looking at a school on this list should read it alongside the trajectory data (is the school improving or declining?), the recent ratings, and the school's narrative on its own pages. A relative underperformer that is on an improving trajectory looks very different from one that is flat or declining.

What patterns show up

Schools that consistently land in the underperforming tier within their state tend to share one or more of: recent rapid principal turnover, persistent teacher staffing gaps in core subjects, a curriculum mismatch with the state assessment, or a recent demographic shift that the school has not yet adjusted programming to handle. None of these are insurmountable.

How to use the data

For school board members, district leaders, and community advocates, the underperformers list is most useful as a starting question, not an answer. The right question is: "Given what we know about this school's students, why is it producing fewer points than peer-state schools that serve similar students?" That question is investigable. The aggregate proficiency number is not.

Methodology

Same per-state OLS regression as our outperformers analysis. Sources: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (FRL share, enrollment, school metadata) and state-native assessments for the most recent available year, typically 2023-24 or 2024-25. Composite proficiency is the average of math and reading/ELA percent-met-or-exceeded across all grades tested at the school. Schools with fewer than four reported assessment rows in 2024 or 2025 are excluded. Virtual schools are excluded because their FRL reporting and assessment participation are not comparable to brick-and-mortar schools. States with fewer than 30 schools meeting the data threshold are skipped.

The schools on this list are the bottom 10% within each state by residual from the per-state regression. They are sorted globally by raw residual, so the top of the table is a mix of states.

HOW TO CITE THIS REPORT

Anyone is welcome to cite or republish these findings. Please credit allk12.com and link back to this page so readers can verify the underlying data.

allk12 (2026). "The 150 US public schools most underperforming their demographics." Retrieved from https://allk12.com/reports/schools-underperforming-expectations

Source: <a href="https://allk12.com/reports/schools-underperforming-expectations">allk12.com</a>

For interview requests or custom data pulls: [email protected]

DOWNLOAD THE DATA

↓ schools-underperforming-expectations.csv

DATA NOTICE

allk12 is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCES, the US Census Bureau, any state education agency or assessment program, or any other government agency. Source data is compiled from public records and provided "as is," without warranty of accuracy or completeness. You rely on it, and any analysis derived from it, at your own risk. See the full disclaimer.