Athena Elem., Desoto MO - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Athena Elem.

Athena Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in the De Soto 73 school district in Jefferson County, Missouri. It sits on the rural edge of De Soto, a small city with a working-class and railroad heritage, where Union Pacific’s car repair shop, Walmart, and the school district itself are the top employers. The town is part of the St. Louis metro area and grows very slowly; a planned Amtrak Texas Eagle stop, if built, would restore passenger rail service for the first time in many years.

The school’s enrollment is moderate and serves a student body that is overwhelmingly White, with a modest share of students identifying as two or more races and very small numbers of Hispanic and Black students. Over half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a substantial portion of families face economic challenges. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported, so a parent who needs that information would want to check with the school directly.

Academically, Athena Elementary presents a mixed picture that varies notably by grade and subject. In math, third graders and fifth graders scored at a level that suggests solid proficiency, while fourth graders and sixth graders were at a level that many families would want to understand better. English language arts results follow a similar pattern: third grade and fifth grade performances are in a moderate range, while fourth grade and sixth grade are softer. On the fifth-grade science test, about half of students met the proficiency bar. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s combined proficiency index places it above the midpoint among districts in Jefferson County, meaning it performs stronger than several neighboring districts but not at the top of the county.

Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and the typical high school metrics such as chronic absenteeism and college readiness do not apply here. No information was available on discipline rates, staffing ratios, or course access; those are common gaps for elementary schools in the data source.

The district made a structural change starting in the 2024-2025 academic year by moving to a four-day school week, Monday through Thursday, with Fridays off and longer daily hours to meet state instructional requirements. The shift was adopted to aid teacher recruitment and retention and passed with survey support from a majority of parents and staff. This change directly affects family schedules, childcare arrangements, and the rhythm of the school week. The district also held a tax rate hearing in 2024, with proposed levy rates for residential and commercial property that families should be aware of when considering the cost of living in the area.

De Soto itself is compact and auto-oriented, with a small downtown along Main Street, a public library, and several parks. Schools are woven into the community rather than isolated on large campuses. The local economy is not booming, but the railroad, retail, and school district provide stable employment. For a family considering Athena Elementary, the main questions will be how the four-day week fits their work and childcare situation, how the school’s uneven proficiency results match their child’s needs, and whether the rural-small-town setting is what they are looking for. The data does not indicate that the school offers any specialized magnet or alternative programs, and no details about after-school or enrichment opportunities were available.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 369%

School 69% · District 56% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 62% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 54% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 58% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 351%

School 51% · District 46% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 59% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 49% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Science

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 51% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

This schoolDESOTO 73, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income59%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income65%Higher-income74%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income42%17 pp gap