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What's something POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL does better than most schools?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
932
Middle
DISTRICT 834 · STATE 461
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·POPLAR BLUFF R-I·NCES 292545001947
POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL
1300 VICTORY LANE, POPLAR BLUFF, MO 63901 · (573) 785-5566 · Butler County
GRADES 04–06MIDDLE33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL932 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.6:1
74 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.8:1 · STATE 13.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
73%
681 students
DISTRICT 88% · STATE 54%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within POPLAR BLUFF R-I. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MO DVT (Growth) 2024-25 . Growth Percentile vs PeersEnglish Language Arts
33.3%
MO avg 49.5% . -4.5pp since 2023
Math
25.9%
MO avg 48.7% . -11.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the MO DVT (Growth), Missouri's statewide test, about 33 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 26 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Missouri schools, those numbers are about 50 and 49. Reading and writing scores are down about 5 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 11 points.
Source: MO DVT (Growth). All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
32.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.9%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-17.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 33% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 50% typical for Missouri schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Missouri's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
932
-265 (-22%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
12.6:1
was 23.3:1
% White
77%
was 80%
% Hispanic
3%
was 3%
% Black
10%
was 11%
% Asian
1%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL
POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL is one of the expansive 6-8 campuss in POPLAR BLUFF, Missouri, operated by POPLAR BLUFF R-I, with 932 students on its rolls from grades 4 through 6. Compared to the state average of about 461 students per school, that is 102% larger than typical.
Within POPLAR BLUFF R-I, which oversees 9 schools and 4,899 students, POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL is one campus in the system.
In terms of who attends, POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL shows that White students make up the majority at 77%. Beyond that, the school logs 10% Black, 9% multiracial, 3% Hispanic. That is visibly less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 87%.
Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 74 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.6:1 students per teacher. That tracks the state average closely. Around 73% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.
On a demographically-adjusted basis, POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 49.9%, the actual is 32.8%, a residual of -17.1 points.
Zooming out to the county, census data for Butler County shows median household earnings sit near $49,089, about 16% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 13%. Across Butler County's 20 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,435 students), POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.
The closest other public school is POPLAR BLUFF JR. HIGH, roughly 0.6 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.
POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL operates from a town-center location.
Looking at the recent track record. POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL's enrollment has declined 22% since 2018, when it stood at 1,197 (now 932). Class-load math has narrowed: from 23.3:1 in 2018 to 12.6:1 in 2025.
On this page, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Butler County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
42,020
Census ACS
Median income
$49,089
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
16%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
20
6,435 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in POPLAR BLUFF R-I
- POPLAR BLUFF HIGHHigh · 1,416 students
- POPLAR BLUFF JR. HIGHMiddle · 735 students
- O'NEAL ELEM.Elementary · 344 students
- POPLAR BLUFF KINDERGARTEN CTR.Elementary · 333 students
- OAK GROVE ELEM.Elementary · 317 students
- LAKE ROAD ELEM.Elementary · 300 students
Other schools in POPLAR BLUFF
- POPLAR BLUFF HIGHHigh · 1,416 students
- POPLAR BLUFF JR. HIGHMiddle · 735 students
- O'NEAL ELEM.Elementary · 344 students
- POPLAR BLUFF KINDERGARTEN CTR.Elementary · 333 students
- OAK GROVE ELEM.Elementary · 317 students
- LAKE ROAD ELEM.Elementary · 300 students
Nearby schools
- POPLAR BLUFF JR. HIGH0.6 mi · 735
- SHADY GROVE SCHOOL0.9 mi · 39
- O'NEAL ELEM.1.0 mi · 344
- POPLAR BLUFF KINDERGARTEN CTR.1.5 mi · 333
- POPLAR BLUFF EARLY CHILDHOOD C1.6 mi · 295
- EUGENE FIELD ELEM.2.0 mi · 227
Frequently asked questions
About POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOLHow large is POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL?
POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL enrolls approximately 932 students in grades 04-06.
Is POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL an elementary, middle, or high school?
POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL is a middle school covering grades 04-06.
How many teachers does POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL have?
POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL employs 74 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.6:1.
What is the student diversity at POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL?
Student demographics at POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL are roughly 77% White, 3% Hispanic, 10% Black, 1% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Is POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL public or private?
POPLAR BLUFF MIDDLE SCHOOL is a public K-12 school, overseen by POPLAR BLUFF R-I.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.