The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in English language arts. The lowest is 31% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on North County Parkside Elem.
North County Parkside Elementary is a regular public school in Desloge, Missouri, serving only third and fourth grades. It is one of the elementary schools within the North St. Francois County R-I district. Because the school covers just two upper-elementary grades, many typical measures do not apply: there is no graduation rate, no course access data for advanced or career pathways, and no chronic absenteeism information. Parents considering this school should understand that their child will attend for only two years before moving to another school in the district, likely a middle or intermediate school.
Desloge is a small, historically working-class city in St. Francois County, roughly an hour south of St. Louis. The town was founded around lead mining, which has since ended, and the economy today is centered on retail, healthcare, and manufacturing. Population has been slowly declining. Housing is car-dependent, with limited pedestrian infrastructure; two parks provide recreational walking paths. Homes in the area are priced substantially lower than the state and national medians, making the community relatively affordable. Many families in the district have modest incomes, and a substantial share of students at North County Parkside qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
The student body is predominantly white, with small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. The school enrolls a moderate total number of students, roughly split between third and fourth grade. Information on special education and English learner populations was not available in the data examined, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about these services.
Academically, state assessment results from the Missouri MAP tests show that proficiency rates in both math and English language arts are below the county average. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in St. Francois County. In third grade, about a third of students scored proficient or above in math, and slightly more did so in ELA. Fourth-grade results were lower in both subjects. These figures indicate that many students are not meeting grade-level expectations, a pattern parents may want to explore further with the school to understand what supports are in place.
The district as a whole has earned recognition: it has held a Distinction in Performance award from the state board for several consecutive years, and the high school has been ranked in the Gold category by U.S. News & World Report. The district also recently expanded its Pre-K program, offers dual enrollment courses through Mineral Area College and Missouri Baptist University, and hosts the UniTec Career Center, which serves students from multiple area districts. These are positive signs for families looking ahead to middle and high school, though they are not directly relevant to the experience at Parkside.
No data was available on teacher staffing, class sizes, discipline rates, or specific academic interventions at this school. The absence of these details does not imply a problem; the data simply does not cover them. Families considering North County Parkside should ask about intervention programs for students who are not yet proficient, and about how the school prepares students for the transition to the next grade level. The school is a straightforward upper-elementary building in a district with broader strengths, set in a small, affordable, and slowly shrinking community where many families face economic challenges.
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