The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in Math. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Intermediate Sch.
Intermediate School serves just two grades, fifth and sixth, in Desloge, a small historically working-class city in St. Francois County. It is designed as a transitional bridge between elementary school and the higher grades that follow, and its nearly three hundred fifty students come from the North St. Francois County R-I district. The school is one piece of a larger system: the district also operates a high school, a career center, and has recently expanded its Pre-K program, so families moving into the area can expect a continuous path from early childhood through graduation.
Academic results on Missouri’s state assessments are mixed and vary noticeably by grade and subject. In sixth grade, math proficiency sits above the midpoint among the county’s districts, a relative strength. English language arts proficiency in sixth grade and all fifth-grade results are lower, with math in fifth grade and science in fifth grade also trailing the county median. The school’s overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint when compared with other school districts in St. Francois County, but the range across the county is narrow, so the difference is modest. A parent looking at these numbers likely wants to know how their child’s particular grade and subject perform, because the picture is not uniform.
The student body is overwhelmingly white, with small shares of Hispanic and Black students. Just under half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that reflects the community’s working-class character. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported, so a family with a child in either category may want to ask the school directly about its services and staffing. No information on discipline, attendance, or chronic absenteeism is available, which means those topics are a gap a prospective parent would need to explore in person.
Desloge itself is a car-dependent town with slow population decline and a modest housing market. The typical home value in the ZIP code is below the state average, and by national benchmarks homes are relatively affordable. The town has no public transit, but it offers parks and a public library. The largest employment sectors are retail, healthcare, and manufacturing, and nearby Mineral Area College and the UniTec Career Center provide post-secondary options.
The district reports a decade-long Distinction in Performance award from the state and a high school ranked in the Gold category by a national news outlet, both publicly noted honors that speak to sustained quality at the upper levels. The career center serves students from multiple surrounding districts, and dual enrollment through Mineral Area College and Missouri Baptist University is available for high schoolers. For a family considering Intermediate School, these district-level offerings matter because they define what comes after sixth grade.
This is a small school in a small town, focused on a single transitional age group. Academic performance is not consistently strong across every grade and subject, but the district as a whole has some recognized strengths and a clear set of pathways for older students. Families moving to Desloge or the North County district will find a familiar, modestly priced housing market and a school that anchors the middle years of a K-12 system that includes early childhood expansion and career-technical options.
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