The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in Math. The lowest is 35% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Parkside Primary School
Parkside Primary School is a small elementary school in Bethalto serving second and third grades, with an enrollment of about three hundred and forty students. It sits in Bethalto Community Unit School District 8, a five-school district in the Metro East region near St. Louis that serves the village and surrounding small communities.
The school's tested grade is third, for which state assessment data is available. In English language arts, third-grade proficiency sits at roughly one-third of students meeting the state standard. Math proficiency in third grade is modestly higher, at roughly two-fifths of students proficient. These results place the school above the midpoint of proficiency performance among the county's other tested schools, though a reader looking for strong core achievement may want to examine these numbers more closely and ask the school directly about instructional priorities and student supports in both subjects.
The student body is predominantly white, reflecting the broader composition of Bethalto itself. The school serves a mixed-income residential area; housing data for the zip code shows home values in the mid-to-low range for the region and monthly mortgage costs below the national median. Free-and-reduced-price lunch data was not available, so the economic profile of Parkside's enrolled families cannot be fully characterized from the available information.
Bethalto itself is a growing village of roughly ten to twelve thousand residents in Madison County, about a half-hour north of St. Louis. The village was built around 19th-century railway and coal-mining industry and retains a small walkable downtown core along Main Street with the historic Village Hall, library, and Central Park. Most of the residential fabric consists of mid-20th-century traditional and ranch homes, with new subdivisions expanding on the north side of town. The district's facilities program, celebrated in late 2024, includes roof replacements, HVAC upgrades, and new athletic venues across its schools, which improves the physical environment families encounter.
Because Parkside serves only grades two and three, it functions as a primary school within the district's structure; students transition to other buildings for higher grades. The school's enrollment and grade-band position mean that high school outcomes, graduation rates, and advanced course offerings are not applicable to this entity. State testing data exists only for grade three, and grade two is not subject to state assessment, so the profile shown here covers a narrow window of academic performance.
A parent considering this school would be choosing a neighborhood elementary school in a moderately growing area with manageable commuting distance to St. Louis employment centers. The residential character is stable and unpretentious, and the district's recent capital investment suggests attention to building conditions. The achievement levels warrant direct conversation with school staff about reading and mathematics instruction and how the school supports students working below grade level.
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