Ash Grove in top four schools in SWMO per APR score

Republic remains strong, Willard improves on annual DESE report
Missouri schools have officially received their annual performance reports—gauging how well they performed over the past year—and local schools showed well. Ash Grove, Republic and Willard districts all reported an APR percentage above 80 percent, placing them in the top third of districts in the state.
APR is a metric used by DESE, developed to be an accountability model, making sure that schools in the state are providing a proper education. Once a year, the numbers come out, effectively grading the district.
Ash Grove among top four in southwest Missouri with 85.7 percent
Ash Grove performed well on the review, both this and last year, scoring 87 percent this time around. According to Ash Grove Superintendent Aaron Gerla that figure is good for fourth place in K–12 schools in southwest Missouri. The district improved over last year, where they ranked ninth in southwest Missouri with 85.7 percent.
“We want to thank all of the people who had a part in making these scores a reality as we work for continued growth as we move forward,” said Gerla.
Republic drops to 85 percent
Republic is the only district of the three that did not improve upon its score from last year. Whereas last year the district held a rating of 88.7 percent, this year that number fell to a still respectable 85 percent. Most of their points from the 2022–2023 school year came from their continuous improvement metric of 98 percent, where their actual performance fell short, measuring only 80.
Willard improves to 81.6 percent
Willard reported decent scores as well, finishing in the top third in the state, according to Heather Michael, the director of communications for Willard Schools. They obtained a score of 81.6 percent for the 2022–2023 school year. In the eight categories being counted toward the score, the district had positive designations of “on track” or “target,” with one of their biggest helps being their graduation rate, which sits at 96.6 percent, according to Michael. Their APR score this year is an improvement over last year, when they did not break the 80 percent threshold.