For the third year in a row, Lindbergh Schools leads the state in academic achievement, ranking No. 1 among all K-12 districts in Missouri.

Lindbergh students’ scores on Missouri Assessment Program, or MAP, tests surpass state averages of 55 percent proficient or advanced in both communication arts and math. In communication arts, 78.5 percent of Lindbergh students scored proficient or advanced, and in math, 83.9 percent of students scored proficient or advanced, according to a district news release.

One-hundred percent of Sperreng Middle School students scored proficient on the Algebra 1 end-of-course exam, ranking No. 1 in the state for that particular test. In addition, Lindbergh elementary schools all ranked in the top 50 among Missouri’s more than 1,000 elementaries statewide.

“We are very proud of our students and staff. Their exceptional hard work has paid off once again,” Nancy Rathjen, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, stated in the release. “This year’s results absolutely underscore the importance of professional development and collaboration among teachers, individualized and small group instruction in the classrooms, and frequent assessment of student achievement to ensure that all children excel.”

Rathjen also attributes the district’s success to the active role that Lindbergh parents play in their students’ learning experiences.

Once again, Lindbergh also met 14 of 14 standards in Missouri’s Annual Performance Report, or APR, which is the foundation for Missouri’s accreditation requirements for public schools. In addition to test scores, attendance, graduation rates, ACT test scores and other indicators are used to determine each district’s APR.

Nearly 600,000 students took MAP tests last spring at all public schools in Missouri.