The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Math. The lowest is 35% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Archie High School
Archie High School is a small, regular public school in the rural town of Archie, Missouri, serving grades six through twelve within the Archie R-V district. The school sits on a single campus that also houses the district’s elementary and middle school, a layout that gives the community a single point of focus for its K-12 education. The outdoor athletics complex is located about a mile west of the main site, and the district’s athletics dome doubles as the town’s storm shelter, reinforcing the school’s role as a civic anchor.
The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and even smaller numbers of students identifying as Black, Asian, American Indian, or of two or more races. About a third of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that places it somewhat below the midpoint among Cass County districts and suggests a modest share of families with lower incomes. The school is small enough that a parent or student will likely find it easy to be known; the grade-level enrollments are modest, with each middle and high school grade carrying a few dozen students.
On state assessments, the picture is mixed and a parent should look closely at the numbers by grade. In math, sixth graders had a proficiency rate that was below the midpoint among tested grades and subjects, while seventh graders showed a notably stronger result. Eighth-grade math results were suppressed, so no reliable read is available for that group. In English language arts, the only reported result was for sixth graders, and that rate was low. Eighth-grade ELA and science results were also suppressed. Because suppression often reflects small group sizes in a school this small, the missing data points do not necessarily signal a problem, but they do leave a gap for a family trying to gauge the school’s overall academic strength. Looking at the school’s composite proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades, it falls in the top quartile among Cass County districts, which suggests that where results are reported, the school performs relatively well within its county. Still, with several grade-subject combinations unreported, the picture is incomplete.
The school offers grades six through twelve, so a student entering in sixth grade can remain at the same school through graduation. The school’s graduation rate data was not available, so a family interested in that metric would need to ask the district directly. The district brief found no recent parent-relevant changes, such as bond issues, boundary adjustments, or new program launches, so readers should not expect any recent disruption to the school’s operations.
Archie itself is a small, rural community in southern Cass County that has seen notable population growth in recent years. Housing values have risen, and median household income has climbed, though the town remains a place of modest scale with limited commercial activity, including a recently added Dollar General and a traditional Main Street layout where City Hall sits. The town has a public library branch and hosts the Missouri State Tractor Pullers Association, as well as the state’s longest-running high school basketball tournament. Employment is likely concentrated in the school district and city government, with many residents commuting north to Harrisonville or to the Kansas City metro area for work. The overall feel is of a small, connected community where the school serves as a central institution.
For a family considering Archie High School, the takeaway is that this is a small, community-rooted school in a growing rural town. Academic results are strongest in seventh-grade math, but several grade-subject results are not reported, making a full assessment difficult. The student body is not economically disadvantaged at a high rate. A parent who values a close-knit setting where their child will be known, and who is willing to ask the school directly about gaps in reported data, may find this a comfortable fit. A parent seeking a more transparent record of academic performance across all grades and subjects may want to probe further.
See more original research from School Decision →