Is Truman Middle a good school?

Truman Middle ranks in the bottom 16.9% of Missouri middle schools.

How many students attend Truman Middle?

In the 2023-24 school year, 478 students attended Truman Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Truman Middle?

Students at Truman Middle are 67% White, 11% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 7% African American, 3% Pacific Islander.

What high school do graduates of Truman Middle attend?

Students who attend Truman Middle usually go on to attend Central High

Truman Middle

Summary:

Truman Middle is a public middle school in St. Joseph, Missouri, serving 482 students in grades 7-8. The school is part of the St. Joseph School District, which is ranked 234 out of 386 districts in Missouri and is rated 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Truman Middle faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, well below average test scores across all subject areas and grade levels, and an extremely high percentage of students (over 99%) who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Despite the relatively high spending per student, ranging from $9,508 to $12,180, the school's academic outcomes do not reflect this level of investment. In comparison, nearby schools in the St. Joseph district, such as Spring Garden Middle, Robidoux Middle, and Bode Middle, generally perform better on key metrics like test scores and chronic absenteeism rates.

Interestingly, Truman Middle's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups. While Hispanic students perform relatively well, ranking in the top 10 among Missouri middle schools in 2022-2023, White students and multi-racial students perform poorly, ranking in the bottom 10% of Missouri middle schools. Additionally, Truman Middle's students perform exceptionally well on the Algebra I end-of-course exam, with proficiency rates ranging from 81% to 92.8% over the past few years, in stark contrast to the school's overall low performance in other subject areas. This suggests that the school may need to take a more comprehensive approach to address the underlying issues and improve the educational experience for all students.

Detail:

Public 7-8

3227 Olive
Saint Joseph, MO 64507-2130

(816) 671-4400

District: St. Joseph

SchoolDigger Rank:
375^th of 451 Missouri Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,180

Students who attend Truman Middle usually attend:

High:

Central High

Student/teacher ratio: 13.1

Number of students: 478

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.4%

Hispanic:

11.3%

Two or more races:

10.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

See top rated Missouri middle schools

Compare Truman Middle to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Truman Middle ranks worse than 83.1% of middle schools in Missouri. It also ranks last among 4 ranked middle schools in the St. Joseph School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 19.92. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Truman Middle has the largest middle school student body size in the St. Joseph School District. Racial makeup is: White (67.4%), Hispanic (11.3%), two or more races (10.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Truman Middle is 13.1, which is the lowest among 4 middle schools in the St. Joseph School District! (See more...)

Compare Truman Middle employs 36.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Truman Middle is $12,180, which is the highest among 4 middle schools in the St. Joseph School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Truman Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Truman Middle 375^th of 451 Missouri public middle schools. (See Truman Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

African American students:

White students:

St. Joseph:

SchoolDigger ranks St. Joseph 234^th of 386 Missouri school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Truman Middle.

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Your rating for Truman Middle?

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Rank History for Truman Middle

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Rank History for all students at Truman Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile
2006	46.64	342^nd	619	44.7%
2007	42.04	429^th	624	31.3%
2008	51.38	314^th	624	49.7%
2009	41.50	419^th	601	30.3%
2010	30.96	523^rd	614	14.8%
2011	30.78	512^th	625	18.1%
2012	41.60	429^th	623	31.1%
2013	38.95	479^th	649	26.2%
2014	37.38	457^th	633	27.8%
2015	22.07	515^th	585	12.0%
2016	20.30	376^th	435	13.6%
2017	13.93	525^th	568	7.6%
2018	18.28	486^th	552	12.0%
2019	8.42	555^th	587	5.5%
2021	20.17	371^st	454	18.3%
2022	22.15	374^th	459	18.5%
2023	28.13	338^th	459	26.4%
2024	19.92	375^th	451	16.9%

See the entire list of Missouri Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Truman Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile
2018	8.43	77^th	79	2.5%
2021	31.31	20^th	31	35.5%
2022	20.95	39^th	45	13.3%
2023	15.97	43^rd	44	2.3%
2024	20.89	47^th	51	7.8%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Truman Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	24.59	59^th	68	13.2%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Truman Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	32.91	137^th	192	28.6%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Truman Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile
2018	36.18	293^rd	422	30.6%
2019	17.83	440^th	482	8.7%
2021	42.98	220^th	371	40.7%
2022	46.79	187^th	365	48.8%
2023	52.02	167^th	382	56.3%
2024	37.97	244^th	378	35.4%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Truman Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	25.55	155^th	204	24.0%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for African American students at Truman Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile
2019	16.70	133^rd	149	10.7%
2022	38.99	90^th	148	39.2%
2024	40.43	83^rd	144	42.4%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Truman Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile
2021	31.13	55^th	67	17.9%
2022	29.11	58^th	78	25.6%
2023	70.92	10^th	74	86.5%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Truman Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile
2018	15.79	450^th	479	6.1%
2019	6.79	521^st	527	1.1%
2021	15.29	343^rd	376	8.8%
2022	19.88	326^th	381	14.4%
2023	18.79	335^th	385	13.0%
2024	12.77	352^nd	379	7.1%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a student
Sunday, August 29, 2010

its a great schoool i loved it when i was there Close Quote

Enrollment information for Truman Middle

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	555	555
1992	556	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	556
1993	531	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	531
1994	500	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	500
1995	560	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	560
1996	560	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	560
1997	505	22	2	11	3	n/a	n/a	0	543
1998	464	19	2	4	6	n/a	n/a	0	495
1999	454	15	2	7	2	n/a	n/a	0	480
2000	460	23	0	11	3	n/a	n/a	0	497
2001	457	25	3	9	4	n/a	n/a	0	498
2002	411	26	2	15	3	n/a	n/a	0	457
2003	411	26	2	15	3	n/a	n/a	0	457
2004	434	23	1	15	2	n/a	n/a	0	475
2005	424	31	1	15	1	n/a	n/a	0	472
2006	388	37	3	19	1	n/a	n/a	0	448
2007	372	32	4	28	1	n/a	n/a	0	437
2008	354	38	4	31	2	n/a	n/a	0	429
2009	392	35	2	21	0	n/a	n/a	0	450
2010	404	41	2	24	2	n/a	n/a	0	473
2011	382	57	2	20	5	0	0	0	466
2012	419	52	2	25	3	0	5	0	506
2013	357	64	2	33	3	0	6	0	465
2014	370	47	3	35	2	0	13	0	470
2015	372	51	1	30	1	1	12	0	468
2016	371	42	0	31	2	6	22	0	474
2017	387	40	2	47	1	3	24	0	504
2018	363	41	5	47	1	6	31	0	494
2019	368	42	5	58	1	1	31	0	506
2020	358	25	1	49	4	2	47	0	486
2021	321	23	3	47	3	0	54	0	451
2022	302	36	2	53	1	2	53	0	449
2023	322	32	3	65	2	9	49	0	482
2024	322	33	3	54	1	14	51	0	478

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Truman Middle

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	555	35.1	15.8	34.6
1992	556	34.6	16.0	32
1993	531	34.7	15.3	37.5
1994	500	34.7	14.4	40.6
1995	560	34.3	16.3	55
1996	560	34.3	16.3	55
1997	543	34.7	15.6	34.3
1998	495	31.4	15.8	39.4
1999	480	31.9	15.0	53.8
2000	497	32.8	15.2	52.3
2001	498	34.9	14.3	48.8
2002	457	33.6	13.6	52.5
2003	457	33.6	13.6	52.5
2004	475	33.0	14.4	55.2
2005	472	35.3	13.4	54.2
2006	448	34.8	12.9	55.6
2007	437	33.7	13.0	58.8
2008	429	34.4	12.5	54.3
2009	450	34.6	13.0	56
2010	473	33.9	13.9	65.8
2011	466	35.1	13.2	63.9
2012	506	35.0	14.4	66
2013	465	35.2	13.2	67.5
2014	470	34.1	13.7	69.6
2015	468	37.0	12.6	68.6
2016	474	37.0	12.8	60.5
2017	504	35.6	14.1	63.7
2018	494	35.5	13.9	57.9
2019	506	32.8	15.4	99.4
2020	486	32.3	15.0	99.4
2021	451	28.8	15.6	99.3
2022	449	33.0	13.5	99.3
2023	482	33.0	14.5	99.4
2024	478	36.4	13.1	100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Truman Middle

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	555	35.1	15.8	34.6
1992	556	34.6	16.0	32
1993	531	34.7	15.3	37.5
1994	500	34.7	14.4	40.6
1995	560	34.3	16.3	55
1996	560	34.3	16.3	55
1997	543	34.7	15.6	34.3
1998	495	31.4	15.8	39.4
1999	480	31.9	15.0	53.8
2000	497	32.8	15.2	52.3
2001	498	34.9	14.3	48.8
2002	457	33.6	13.6	52.5
2003	457	33.6	13.6	52.5
2004	475	33.0	14.4	55.2
2005	472	35.3	13.4	54.2
2006	448	34.8	12.9	55.6
2007	437	33.7	13.0	58.8
2008	429	34.4	12.5	54.3
2009	450	34.6	13.0	56
2010	473	33.9	13.9	65.8
2011	466	35.1	13.2	63.9
2012	506	35.0	14.4	66
2013	465	35.2	13.2	67.5
2014	470	34.1	13.7	69.6
2015	468	37.0	12.6	68.6
2016	474	37.0	12.8	60.5
2017	504	35.6	14.1	63.7
2018	494	35.5	13.9	57.9
2019	506	32.8	15.4	99.4
2020	486	32.3	15.0	99.4
2021	451	28.8	15.6	99.3
2022	449	33.0	13.5	99.3
2023	482	33.0	14.5	99.4
2024	478	36.4	13.1	100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Truman Middle

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$634 (6.7%)	$8,874 (93.3%)	$9,508
2020	$426 (4.2%)	$9,825 (95.8%)	$10,251
2021	$930 (8.4%)	$10,098 (91.6%)	$11,028
2022	$717 (5.9%)	$11,463 (94.1%)	$12,180

Data source: Missouri Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Truman Middle

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 555^th of 587 Middle schools	Ranks 338^th of 459 Middle schools	20.9%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
7th Grade Mathematics (Truman Middle)	19.6	27.4	7.8%
7th Grade Mathematics (St. Joseph)	29.2	32.2	3%
7th Grade Mathematics (Missouri)	38	39.5	1.5%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Truman Middle)	22.4	31.3	8.9%
7th Grade English Language Arts (St. Joseph)	29.5	33.7	4.2%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Missouri)	43.6	37.3	6.3%
8th Grade Mathematics (Truman Middle)	7.4	13.9	6.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (St. Joseph)	14.8	14.8
8th Grade Mathematics (Missouri)	29	30	1%
8th Grade Science (Truman Middle)	19.9	19.4	0.5%
8th Grade Science (St. Joseph)	28	24.7	3.3%
8th Grade Science (Missouri)	43.7	37.8	5.9%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Truman Middle)	20.9	29.5	8.6%
8th Grade English Language Arts (St. Joseph)	37.4	32.8	4.6%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Missouri)	47.3	42.7	4.6%
End of Course Algebra I (Truman Middle)	78.2	81	2.8%
End of Course Algebra I (St. Joseph)	33.8	18.4	15.4%
End of Course Algebra I (Missouri)	45.3	41.5	3.8%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	506	482	4.7%
African American	42	32	23.8%
American Indian	1	2	100%
Asian	5	3	40%
Hispanic	58	65	12.1%
Pacific Islander	1	9	800%
White	368	322	12.5%
Two or More Races	31	49	58.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	99.4%	99.4%	0%

Schools Near Truman Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MAP Mathematics (2024)			MAP Science (2024)	MAP English Language Arts (2024)			MAP Algebra I (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAP Science 8th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAP Algebra I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Truman Middle	Public	7-8	3227 Olive	Saint Joseph	64507	Buchanan County	St. Joseph	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 671-4400	478	36	13.1	100.0%	322 (67.4%)	33 (6.9%)	54 (11.3%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.9%)	51 (10.7%)	19.9	375^th of 451 public middle schools	16.9%		28.1	338^th of 459 public middle schools	26.4%	37		16.0	11.5	24.6		18.6	29.2	92.8	$12,180	$717	$11,463
Bode Middle	Public	7-8	720 N Noyes Blvd	Saint Joseph	64506	Buchanan County	St. Joseph	No	No	No	No	(816) 671-4050	474	36	13.2	35.2%	284 (59.9%)	35 (7.4%)	66 (13.9%)	23 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.0%)	47 (9.9%)	54.5	204^th of 451 public middle schools	54.8%		47.4	242^nd of 459 public middle schools	47.3%	38		34.0	19.3	39.4		43.6	38.5	97.5	$9,875	$363	$9,512
Spring Garden Middle	Public	6-8	5802 S 22nd	Saint Joseph	64503	Buchanan County	St. Joseph	No	No	No	No	(816) 671-4380	443	31	14.3	100.0%	303 (68.4%)	20 (4.5%)	66 (14.9%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	10 (2.3%)	40 (9.0%)	32.5	310^th of 451 public middle schools	31.3%		27.2	343^rd of 459 public middle schools	25.3%	33	27.9	40.9	15.5	21.8	20.2	29.2	33.1		$10,743	$352	$10,391
Robidoux Middle	Public	6-8	4212 St Joseph Ave	Saint Joseph	64505	Buchanan County	St. Joseph	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 671-4350	398	29	13.6	100.3%	268 (67.3%)	29 (7.3%)	38 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.5%)	53 (13.3%)	21	368^th of 451 public middle schools	18.4%		32	326^th of 459 public middle schools	29.0%	42	30.0	20.6	18.4	19.2	15.8	13.1	31.6	76.3	$11,593	$585	$11,008
East Buchanan Middle	Public	6-8	301 County Park Rd N	Easton	64443	Buchanan County	East Buchanan County C-1	No	No	No	No	(816) 473-2451	169	14	12.0	21.9%	161 (95.3%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.0%)	79	72^nd of 451 public middle schools	84.0%		75.2	81^st of 459 public middle schools	82.4%	9	46.4		31.4	59.9	44.7		61.8	86.9	$11,858	$524	$11,335
Savannah Middle	Public	6-8	10500 State Route T	Savannah	64485	Andrew County	Savannah R-III	No	No	No	No	(816) 324-3126	524	36	14.6	37.8%	495 (94.5%)	5 (1.0%)	14 (2.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.5%)	73.4	93^rd of 451 public middle schools	79.4%		75	83^rd of 459 public middle schools	81.9%	10	54.2	49.5	36.0	41.2	43.1	45.2	46.8		$8,192	$435	$7,757
North Platte Junior High	Public	6-8	212 W Sixth St	Dearborn	64439	Platte County	North Platte County R-I	No	No	No	No	(816) 450-3350	138	11	12.6	27.5%	131 (94.9%)	2 (1.4%)	2 (1.4%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	59.2	168^th of 451 public middle schools	62.7%		63.9	143^rd of 459 public middle schools	68.8%	25	44.1	26.4	14.0	47.2	40.8	36.7	49.0	90.3	$11,380	$640	$10,740
North Andrew Middle	Public	6-8	9120 Hwy 48	Rosendale	64483	Andrew County	North Andrew County R-VI	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 567-2525	72	7	10.3	20.8%	72 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				31.1			31.2		$7,659	$670	$6,989

Truman Middle

Truman Middle:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

St. Joseph:

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Truman Middle

Rank History for all students at Truman Middle

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Truman Middle

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Truman Middle

Rank History for Special Education students at Truman Middle

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Truman Middle

Rank History for Disabled students at Truman Middle

Rank History for African American students at Truman Middle

Rank History for Hispanic students at Truman Middle

Rank History for White students at Truman Middle

Review counts

Enrollment information for Truman Middle

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Truman Middle

Student/Teacher Ratio Truman Middle

Per Pupil Expenditures for Truman Middle

Impact of COVID-19 on Truman Middle

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Truman Middle

Frequently Asked Questions about Truman Middle

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