The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in Math. The lowest is 19% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on New Madrid Elementary
New Madrid Elementary serves students from preschool through fifth grade in the New Madrid County R-I School District. It is a regular public school and sits in a small Mississippi River town that is the county seat of New Madrid County. The town functions as a mix of residential neighborhoods, local government offices, and modest heritage tourism, anchored by sites tied to the region’s early earthquake history and the Civil War. The school itself is part of a district that operates multiple campuses, and the elementary school stands apart from the downtown core, which holds civic anchors like the historical museum, county buildings, and the library. Housing in the area is notably affordable in a national context, and the local economy draws on the Associated Electric coal plant, county government, agriculture, and the school district itself. The population has been stable to slowly declining in recent years, and no major new development projects were found in publicly available sources.
The school’s enrollment is modest for the grade band it serves. A large majority of students are white, with a substantial Black student population and a small share of multiracial students; the Hispanic and Asian student bodies are each very small. Every student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that reflects the economic profile of the community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show a mixed picture across subjects and grades. In math, proficiency rates varied considerably by grade level. The fourth-grade cohort posted a rate that was notably higher than the school’s overall pattern, while the third-grade rate was lower, and the fifth-grade rate was well below both. In English language arts, the third-grade and fifth-grade results were both low; the fourth-grade ELA result was suppressed in the state data, so no figure is reported for that group. The fifth-grade science result was also suppressed. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint when compared to other districts within New Madrid County. A parent looking for a clear trend over time will find limited data: the multi-year series covers only a single year for the all-students group, so there is no track record of improvement or decline to examine.
No graduation rate is reported because the school only serves elementary grades, and that is not a metric that applies here. There were no data available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing ratios, so a parent may want to discuss those areas with the school or district office.
The district appears to have had no major, lasting changes recently reported in public sources, according to the search conducted. For a family considering this school, the picture is one of a small, rural elementary building serving a community where economic need is widespread. Academic results are uneven, with some grades performing markedly better than others, and the overall proficiency stands roughly in the middle of the county’s handful of districts. A parent may want to follow up on how the school addresses the lower performance in the upper elementary grades, particularly in math and reading, and on what academic interventions or enrichment opportunities are available for students at different levels.
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