Parkade Elem., Columbia MO - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Parkade Elem.

Parkade Elementary is a regular public school in Columbia, Missouri, serving students from prekindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Columbia 93 school district, the fourth largest in the state, which operates more than thirty schools across the city. The school sits in a residential neighborhood of a fast-growing Midwestern college town that is home to the University of Missouri, Stephens College, and Columbia College, giving the area a strong student presence and an economy anchored in education, healthcare, and insurance.

The student body is racially and economically diverse. The largest group of students is white, followed by a substantial share who are Black, and then smaller groups of students who identify with two or more races, Hispanic, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a marker of household income. The school enrolls roughly enough students to fill a few classrooms per grade, with kindergarten through fifth grade each having a similar number of students.

State test results are available for grades three through five in English language arts and math, and for grade five in science. The proficiency rates across these subjects and grades are below the midpoint when compared with other schools in Boone County. The school’s overall proficiency index places it in the lower half of the county’s range. In English language arts, the share of students meeting proficiency standards is roughly a third to two-fifths across the tested grades, and in math it is roughly a quarter to a third. Science in grade five shows a slightly higher share. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism and staffing were not available for this account.

Columbia’s housing market reflects the city’s growth. Home values and rents are near the middle of the range for the state, and the cost of buying versus renting tilts toward renting for many households. The city has been the fastest-growing municipality in Missouri, with ongoing development in healthcare, technology, and research sectors. The district itself has seen recent changes that affect elementary families. Voters approved a major bond issue for facility improvements including safety upgrades, HVAC replacements, and classroom renovations at multiple schools. The district also adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum based on the science of reading, moving away from a balanced literacy approach, and began phasing it in. Attendance boundary changes were approved in 2023 affecting three other elementary schools, though Parkade was not among them. A 1:1 technology initiative now provides every student in grades three through five with an iPad.

For a family considering Parkade Elementary, the school offers a standard elementary experience within a large district that has invested in facilities and curriculum. The student body is diverse and the school serves a high-poverty population, which is an important context for understanding the academic results. The test scores are lower than many other schools in the county, a pattern that a parent may want to explore further with the school or district to understand what supports are in place. The surrounding community is a growing college town with a walkable downtown, a robust parks and trails system, and a strong university presence.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 41% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 42% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 42% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 44% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 45% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 48% · ▼ 8 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Science

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 47% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolCOLUMBIA 93, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income24%Higher-income44%20 pp gap