One non-surprise from the state’s list of low-performing schools: Demographics matter.

Wednesday’s list provides more evidence of the strong correlation between high poverty rates and low performance.

Twenty-three of the 29 schools on the list are Title I schools, so designated because they serve a high percentage of low-income students.

When free and reduced-price lunch eligibility is used as the yardstick, the results are much the same. Statewide, about 47 percent of students are eligible for lunch subsidies; 24 schools on the state’s list have eligibility rates above the state average.

The five schools that made the list of low performers and have lower than average eligibility for lunch subsidies: Cascade Junior-Senior High School, Cascade; Howe Elementary School, Howe; Madison Junior High School, Rexburg; Pathways Middle School, Meridian; and Teton Middle School, Driggs.

Click here to read more about the list of low-performing schools — and the state’s list of high-performing high schools.