Butler County's score on an annual report ranking the well-being of Missouri's children is not the lowest in the state, but it's close, earning No. 112 of a possible 114 counties and the City of St. Louis.
Despite the low position, much of the data reflected in the 2018 Missouri Kids Count Data Book shows improvement in multiple areas for Butler County over previous years.
Poplar Bluff R-1 Superintendent Scott Dill said the information published by Missouri Kids Count serves as guidance to the district's administrative team.
"Awareness of these data help us make better decisions about how to improve the lives of the children who are entrusted to us," Dill said.
MKC comprehensively assesses the educational, social, economic and physical well-being of children statewide. A primary source of data on children and families, MKC is the local partner of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private philanthropy based on the East Coast, which sponsors the projects nationally.
Following Butler County, Dunklin ranked No. 113, followed by Ripley at No. 114. Faring better are Wayne County at No. 110, Carter County at No. 107, Reynolds County at No. 91 and Stoddard County at No. 63.
Topics assessed in the data book include Economic Well-Being, Health, Family and Community and Education. Within those umbrellas are subgroups which feature more specific areas on which MKC focused. The report lists Butler County's population as 42,739.
The first area showing improvement found in this year's report is within the Economic Well-Being category and pertains to the sub-group Children Under 18 Living in Poverty. Statistically, the amount of children under 18 living in poverty in Butler County decreased from 33.3 percent in 2012 to 30.6 percent in 2016.
However, despite the improvement, Butler County remains above the state average of 19.2 percent and ranks No. 92 out of Missouri's 115 counties for the sub-group.
Also within Economic Well-Being is the sub-group Food Insecurity in Children. Its percentage fell from 25 in 2011 to 23.3 percent in 2015.
In the Health category, Low Birthweight Infants were assessed, but the outcome was not included in Butler County's composite rank.
According to the report, the number of infants born in Butler County with a low birthweight increased from 9.4 percent in 2012 to 10.8 percent in 2016. Missouri's average is 8.2 percent, which places Butler County at No. 109 for the sub-group.
Under Health, Preventable Hospitalizations for All Causes for Children Under 18 (per 1,000) saw considerable improvement from 38 in 2012 to 20.5 in 2016. However, the average statewide is 7.2, which puts Butler County at No. 114 for the sub-group.
Also within Health, Child Asthma Emergency Room Rates (per 1,000) increased between 2011 and 2015, rising from 3.9 to 4.7.
In the Family and Community category, Births to Teens, Ages 15-19 (per 1,000) decreased from 76.4 in 2012 to 47 in 2016. Missouri's average is 23.3, which lands Butler County at No. 109 in the sub-group.
Continuing within Family and Community, Substantiated Child Abuse/Neglect Cases (per 1,000) outcome was not included in the county's composite rank. However, between 2012 and 2016, the percentage of cases in Butler County fell from 10.4 to 9.4.
Education is the final category assessed by MKC. Butler County's overall graduation rate improved from 78.3 percent in 2012 to 89.2 percent in 2016. The state's average is 91.5 percent, which puts Butler County at No. 104 in the sub-group.