The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in English language arts. The lowest is 42% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Locust St Expressive Arts Elem
Locust St Expressive Arts Elem is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in central Columbia, Missouri. It is part of the Columbia 93 district, the fourth largest in the state, which operates more than two dozen elementary schools across a city that is home to the University of Missouri, Stephens College, and Columbia College. The school sits in a neighborhood near downtown, a walkable corridor where the university campus meets the courthouse and commercial district.
Academically, the school posts an overall proficiency index that lands above the midpoint when measured against other districts in Boone County, an area that includes Columbia and its suburban and rural surroundings. That position reflects a solid showing in English language arts in the early grades, where third-grade proficiency was well above half, and fourth-grade results were around half. Math results followed a similar pattern: fourth-grade proficiency outpaced third, and both were at levels that supported the school’s above-midpoint county standing. However, the fifth-grade scores mark a sharp drop in both subjects. Fifth-grade math proficiency was roughly a quarter of students, and fifth-grade English language arts was just over two-fifths. Fifth-grade science results were suppressed, so no conclusion can be drawn from that subject. Because the school serves only elementary grades, no graduation rate applies, and no chronic absenteeism data were available for comparison. A parent moving a child into fifth grade may want to ask the school directly about how they support students in that transition year and what the dip in tested performance reflects.
The student body of roughly three hundred children is diverse. About half the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that places the school within a typical range for a public elementary in a mid-sized college city. The racial and ethnic composition includes a significant share of white students, a substantial share of Black students, and smaller groups of Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. Federal special education and English learner counts were not reported in the data available, so those breakdowns are not part of this picture.
Columbia itself is a fast-growing municipality, the fastest-growing in Missouri in recent years, anchored by the university, several major hospitals, and large private employers such as Veterans United Home Loans and Shelter Insurance. Housing values in the zip code area are above state and national benchmarks, and rents have risen noticeably. For families considering this school, the housing market is competitive, typical of a desirable college town with a growing population and low unemployment. The school is on the older east side of the city, near the downtown core, where the built environment includes tree-lined streets, the MKT Trail, and a short distance to the main university campus.
The district has been active with recent changes. Voters approved a sizable bond issue for facility upgrades, including safety and security improvements, HVAC replacements, and classroom renovations, with work scheduled through the end of the decade. The district also shifted to a new elementary literacy curriculum based on the science of reading, phasing in during the prior school year, with ongoing teacher training. Attendance boundaries were adjusted in recent years for a few elementary schools, though Locust St was not among those directly affected. A 1:1 technology initiative provided devices to all students in grades three through twelve, so upper-grade students at this school have iPads for classroom use.
Locust St Expressive Arts Elem presents as a neighborhood school with a thematic focus baked into its name, though the data did not include a description of the expressive arts program itself. Given the strong early-grade ELA results and the above-midpoint overall standing in the county, it fits a family looking for a mid-sized, diverse elementary in a central Columbia location with access to the downtown and university corridor. The fifth-grade performance dip is a soft spot worth investigating, particularly for parents whose children will enter that grade.
See more original research from School Decision →