The Bolivar R-I School District showed significant improvement in performance on the 2025 Annual Performance Report (APR), earning 171 out of 200 possible points for a score of 85.5% – the highest score the district has earned since the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 6) launched during the 2021-2022 school year.

Congratulations to our students, teachers, support staff, and administrators! 

This milestone marks a significant 3% increase from 82.5% in 2024 and the district’s first year-over-year increase under MSIP 6. These results, which were released statewide on November 6th by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), reflect progress in academic performance, continuous improvement, and student success. The district remains fully accredited by DESE.

“This is a moment of celebration for our entire Bolivar Schools team – students, staff, families, and community,” noted Dr. Michael Methvin, superintendent. “Our APR score is more than a simple data point, as it provides strong evidence that the strategies we have put in place are having a positive impact on student success. Bolivar continues to strive for academic excellence and looks forward to building on this momentum.”

District-wide performance in Mathematics improved by 2.1%, earning 100% of APR points, while English Language Arts and Science performance remained steady with changes of less than one percent in both areas.

At the building level, Bolivar High School saw its APR score rise 6.6% from the previous year, while maintaining a strong graduation rate of 96.1%. Bolivar Middle School posted the district’s largest gain with a 15.7% overall increase, while Bolivar Primary School improved its APR score by 12.5%.  Finally, Bolivar Intermediate School earned the district’s highest academic performance score and the highest proportional attendance rate.

District-wide proportional attendance also saw progress, increasing by 3.1% year-over-year and earning an additional APR point in the continuous improvement category. Overall, Bolivar R-I earned 98.3% of continuous improvement points, achieving 100% in all required state reporting areas.

Annual Performance Reports (APRs) are provided for districts statewide and reflect data collected during the 2024-2025 school year. The report summarizes information about key indicators such as academic achievement, academic growth, attendance, kindergarten readiness, graduation rates, and local improvement planning.