The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in English language arts. The lowest is 46% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cameron Intermediate School
Cameron Intermediate School serves third through fifth graders in the Cameron R-I district, a three-grade school designed as a bridge between elementary and middle school. The building sits in a small city that grew around a railroad junction and now anchors itself at the intersection of Interstate 35 and U.S. 36. Cameron’s population has been declining in recent years, and the local economy leans heavily on state correctional centers and a veterans home. The school itself is a standard public school with no charter or magnet status, and the district has not had any major parent-relevant changes like referendums or curriculum shifts in recent years.
On the Missouri Assessment Program, the school’s results present a mixed picture that lands above many of its county peers. Fourth graders posted the strongest performance, with a majority scoring proficient or above in both math and English language arts. Third and fifth graders, by contrast, scored around the halfway mark or a bit below, with math proficiency dipping slightly lower than ELA in fifth grade. Fifth-grade science results were similar to their math results. When compared across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index falls in the top quartile relative to other districts in Clinton County, a signal that despite the variation by grade, students here generally perform ahead of nearby schools. No test participation rates were reported, and no multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to see whether this year’s results reflect a pattern or a single snapshot.
The student body is about the size one would expect for an intermediate school serving three grade levels. The substantial majority of students are white, with small shares of Hispanic, multiracial, Asian, and Black students. Just under half of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which is a meaningful but not dominant share. Data on special education identification and English learner status were not reported, so families with children in those populations would want to follow up directly with the school. No information on discipline, chronic absenteeism, or staffing was available. Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to consider.
Cameron itself is a car-dependent town with a traditional downtown core along North Main Street. Housing values in the zip code around the school have risen modestly over the past year, roughly in line with state trends and well below the national average, which might matter to families weighing a move. The district’s other schools are all within the same town, so students moving from this intermediate school will feed into Cameron Middle School and then Cameron High School. No program offerings such as gifted services or specialized tracks were listed in the available data.
For a family considering this school, the central takeaway is that it serves a common grade span in a small, stable district where academic results are solid relative to the county, especially in fourth grade, though the third- and fifth-grade numbers are more uneven. The peer group is racially homogeneous and economically mixed. The town is small, affordable by national standards, and oriented around highway access and institutional employers. A parent looking to understand the school’s trajectory would need to ask the district for trend data and more detail on support programs, since the public records available here are limited to a single year of test scores and basic demographics.
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