The top reported proficiency rate is 10% in English language arts. The lowest is 5% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on North Pemiscot Co. R-i
North Pemiscot County R-I is a small public school district in the Missouri Bootheel, serving students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district's total enrollment is modest for a PK–12 system, with just over two hundred students spread across two schools: Ross Elementary and North Pemiscot Sr. High. The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of Black students and a very small number of Hispanic students. Data on students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available, so it is not possible to describe the district’s economic or academic support profile from that angle.
State testing results are limited in what they can tell a parent. Missouri’s MAP assessments in math, English language arts, and science are administered in grades 3 through 8, but for North Pemiscot the results for nearly every grade and subject are suppressed. The state suppresses proficiency data when the number of students tested in a group is very small, which is the case here: the tested counts in each grade are small enough that individual students could be identified. The only reported results come from eighth grade, where the proficiency rate was very low in math and also very low in English language arts, and in eighth-grade science the same pattern held. Because data for all other grades is suppressed, it is not possible to say whether the pattern is consistent across the elementary and middle school years or where the district’s strengths lie. A parent may want to ask the school directly for its own internal assessment results or classroom performance trends.
A broader comparison places the district among the other districts in Pemiscot County. On an overall proficiency index that averages across tested subjects and grades, North Pemiscot falls in the bottom quartile of the county’s seven districts. That placement aligns with the very low rates seen in the one grade for which data is reported. On the other hand, the district’s chronic absenteeism rate is in the top quartile among county districts, meaning that students are absent less often than in most neighboring systems. The district’s per-pupil current spending is in the upper range among its peers, which may reflect higher costs associated with serving a small, rural population spread over a wide area.
A high school graduation rate was not available for this district, so it is not possible to assess how many students finish in four years. That gap often occurs when the cohort is too small for the state to report it publicly, and that may be the case here given the size of the high school grades.
The district is located in Pemiscot County, a rural area in southeastern Missouri. Home values in the parts of the county served by North Pemiscot are well below the Missouri median, and the weighted average of values across the relevant ZIP codes has shown modest growth over the past year. The county overall has a relatively low cost of housing compared to state and national benchmarks, which may be a factor for families considering a move.
We looked for recent district changes, such as bond issues, curriculum updates, or facility improvements, but no specific parent-relevant developments were found in publicly available sources. The district appears to operate without major recent disruptions or initiatives on record.
For a parent weighing educational options in this part of the Bootheel, North Pemiscot County R-I offers a very small, rural setting. The academic proficiency data that is available points to challenges, particularly in the middle grades. The district commits a higher level of spending per student than most county peers, and chronic absenteeism is lower than the county average, which are positive signs for engagement and resource allocation. However, without more granular testing data across grades and without a graduation rate, it is difficult to get a full picture of the academic trajectory for students. A conversation with the district office or a visit to the schools would be the best next step for a family trying to understand whether the environment matches their child’s needs.
See more original research from School Decision →