Original Research by School Decision on Datema House
Datema House is a very small public school in Springfield, serving grades five through twelve, with a total enrollment that places it among the tiniest academic settings in the region. It is part of the Division of Youth Service district, a name that signals a specialized administrative structure, and the school itself is designated as a regular public school. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a small share of students identifying as two or more races. About three-quarters of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that points to a population with significant economic need.
State testing data for Datema House is not available. No proficiency rates, no multi-year trends, and no graduation rate appear in the record. The gaps are consistent with the school’s profile: the enrollment is so small that reporting may not meet thresholds, and the grade-level distribution shows no twelfth-grade students at all, so a graduation rate would not apply. For a parent looking at test scores as a primary signal, this school offers no public evidence to evaluate. That absence may reflect the school’s purpose rather than its performance, but the data simply does not speak to academic outcomes in a way typical of larger schools.
The school environment section is also largely empty. No information on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism is provided. This is common for very small or alternative settings where standard reporting is not available. What can be observed is that the school occupies a location in central Springfield, on South Jefferson Avenue, a street that runs through the city’s older residential and commercial core.
Springfield itself is a mid-sized regional hub with a diversified economy anchored by two large hospital systems, major corporate headquarters like Bass Pro Shops and O’Reilly Auto Parts, and several universities and colleges clustered around downtown. The city has experienced modest population growth in recent years. Housing values in the ZIP code that includes Datema House are well below both the state and national medians, and rents have been rising moderately, which aligns with the area’s overall affordability relative to the rest of Missouri.
For a family considering Datema House, the most salient feature is its extremely small size. With a dozen or so students spread across several grade levels, the school offers an intimacy that is almost impossible to find elsewhere. The high share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch suggests the school serves a community with limited financial resources. The absence of academic performance data means a parent cannot compare this school to others using conventional metrics; they would need to engage directly with the school to understand its curriculum, supports, and pathways. Given its district affiliation, the school likely serves a specific population, possibly connected to youth services, but the data does not confirm that directly. For a family outside that system, this is not a typical neighborhood school option. For a family already within the Division of Youth Service, the school exists to provide a educational setting that is small and closely tied to the district’s mission.
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