The top reported proficiency rate is 24% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Caruthersville Elementary
Caruthersville Elementary is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade, located in the Mississippi River town of Caruthersville, Missouri, the county seat of Pemiscot County. The school sits at the center of a community shaped by agriculture, river transport, and a riverboat casino that has provided an economic boost. The town is small and rural and has experienced a steady population decline over the past decade and a half. Home values are low relative to state and national benchmarks, and the school itself reflects the economic circumstances of the families it serves: every student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.
The student body is diverse. A substantial share of students are Black, a slightly smaller share are White, and a meaningful share identify as two or more races. A small Hispanic population is also present. The elementary serves as the single elementary school for the Caruthersville 18 School District, which also includes a middle school and a high school.
On the Missouri Assessment Program, the state’s standardized tests, Caruthersville Elementary’s results are soft. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or advanced is low across grades three, four, and five. In English language arts, the results are higher but still below what many families would consider a solid academic footing. Grade three shows a modestly stronger showing than grades four and five, where the proficiency rate drops. In science, tested in grade five, the results are similarly low. When placed among districts across Pemiscot County, the school’s overall proficiency index lands below the midpoint of the comparison set. A parent looking at these numbers will see a school where the majority of students are not yet meeting state academic standards, and this is a fact worth discussing directly with the school to understand what supports are in place.
Because the school serves only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and that gap is expected for a school of this grade band. Data on chronic absenteeism is also not available. Information on programs such as gifted education, arts, or extracurricular offerings was not found in the sources reviewed, so a family with specific interests should ask the school directly.
The district itself did not appear to have undergone any major recent changes that are publicly documented, such as a building referendum or a curriculum overhaul, based on the search conducted. The town is small and has a traditional main street on Ward Avenue, with a historic lighthouse-style water tower and a Mississippi River bridge as civic landmarks. Housing is affordable by any national measure, and the cost of entry for a family buying a home is modest. The median household income in the town is well below the national figure, and poverty rates are high.
For a family considering Caruthersville Elementary, the picture is straightforward. This is a high-poverty school in a shrinking rural town where state test results are low. The school offers the basic elementary grade span with no advanced or alternative programming data available to review. A parent moving to the area will want to engage directly with the principal and teaching staff to get a sense of the classroom environment, intervention strategies, and any enrichment offerings that may not appear in the public data. The school may be a good fit for a family already rooted in the community and familiar with its supports, but for a newcomer, the academic numbers will require a careful conversation.
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