Original Research by School Decision on L&c Elementary/region Iii
L&C Elementary/Region III is a special education school serving middle grades in Cottage Hills, a small unincorporated bedroom community in Madison County near the Greater St. Louis area. The school is part of Region III Special Education Coop, a regional cooperative serving the wider county.
Because this is a specialized facility designed for students with disabilities rather than a general-enrollment school, it sits outside the state testing and accountability measures that apply to regular public schools. No proficiency data, graduation rates, chronic absenteeism rates, or standard enrollment counts appear in the available data. This is typical for special education schools, which serve students whose educational needs and pathways differ from traditional grade-level and subject-matter assessment structures. A parent considering this school should contact the school or district directly to understand the specific population served, the range of disabilities or learning profiles supported, the curriculum and support structure offered, staffing and related services, and how the school measures progress toward individualized education goals.
Cottage Hills itself is a quiet, working- to middle-class residential area dominated by minimal traditional homes from the 1940s and 1950s, built on spacious yards. The community grew rapidly mid-century but has since stabilized, with little new development. It has no downtown or commercial center of its own; residents commute out for shopping and work. A paved regional bike trail built on a former rail corridor runs through the community, and Kutter Park offers recreational amenities including disc golf, trails, and playgrounds. Madison County Transit provides bus service and bikeway access to the wider region. The area's housing is modest, with median home values well below state and national benchmarks, reflecting the older, smaller-scale character of the stock.
Enrollment data for the school was not available. Because L&C Elementary/Region III is a specialized, cooperative-based special education facility rather than a district-run mainstream elementary school, it likely serves a small, geographically dispersed population drawn from across the cooperative's service area rather than from Cottage Hills alone. The school's location in Cottage Hills is one of convenience within the region rather than an indicator that it primarily serves Cottage Hills families.
For families seeking special education services in Madison County, L&C Elementary/Region III represents a county-level resource. A parent should contact the school to learn what grade levels and disability categories it serves, what the intake and referral process looks like, how placement decisions are made, and what the school day and year entail.
See more original research from School Decision →