The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in Math. The lowest is 57% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Chillicothe Elem
Chillicothe Elementary is a regular public school in the Chillicothe R-II district, serving students from pre-kindergarten through first grade. Because the school covers only the earliest grades, there is no graduation rate to report and no high school course data; the academic picture is limited to what state testing can show at these young grade levels. The school sits in Chillicothe, Missouri, a town that functions as a regional hub for the agricultural area of north-central Livingston County. The community’s civic life centers on a historic downtown square around the county courthouse, and the town offers parks, a YMCA, a water park, and a public library as community anchors. Housing in the area is affordable relative to national benchmarks, which aligns with the town’s stable population and its economic base in healthcare, the school district, and agriculture.
The student body is small for an elementary school, and nearly all students are white. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate level of economic need among the families the school serves. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not provided, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how it supports those populations.
State testing results are available for grades three through five, but because Chillicothe Elementary ends at first grade, these results reflect the performance of students who have already moved on to other buildings within the district for second grade and beyond. In math, proficiency rates decline across the tested grades: third graders showed a strong majority reaching the proficient or advanced level, while fourth graders dipped and fifth graders slipped further. In English language arts, the pattern is uneven; fourth graders posted a solid result, while third and fifth graders each landed below that mark. Fifth-grade science results showed a majority of students scoring proficient or above. These numbers offer a partial view of how students who started at this school are performing later, but they do not measure the instruction happening in pre-K through first grade classrooms, which are the school’s core mission.
A major change is reshaping the district. Publicly reported information indicates that the Chillicothe R-II district consolidated its elementary schools between the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years, reducing from six schools to four. Previously, elementary grades were split across multiple buildings, including Chillicothe Elementary for the youngest students. The district now describes a single elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, which suggests that the older elementary grades have moved into a different building. For a family considering this school, the consolidation means attendance zones and school community structures have shifted recently, and the building that houses pre-K through first grade may now operate within a different overall elementary configuration than in prior years. A parent should confirm exactly which grades attend which building and how the transition to second grade works under the current arrangement.
The academic profile of the school itself is thin by design, as state testing does not begin until third grade. Families choosing this school will be selecting an early-primary environment in a small, stable community with affordable housing and a downtown that provides walkable access to civic amenities. The recent district reorganization is the most consequential factor a parent should investigate, as it directly affects the daily experience of elementary-age children and the feeder patterns that will shape their schooling through the upper grades.
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