The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lakeland Elem.
Lakeland Elementary serves students from preschool through sixth grade in the small, rural town of Deepwater, Missouri. The school is part of the Lakeland R-III district, and the student body is overwhelmingly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of students from other racial backgrounds. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a community with moderate to high economic need.
The school sits in a place that has seen long-term population decline. Deepwater is a very small town surrounded by agricultural land, and its proximity to Truman Lake draws visitors for fishing and boating, but the local economy does not appear to support major employers. The town’s residential character is quiet and sparse, and families in the area likely rely on personal vehicles for most trips. No recent major housing developments or growth initiatives were identified in the town. This is a part of Missouri where the population is shrinking, not growing.
Academically, the state assessment results show a pattern that parents will want to examine closely. In math, the share of students reaching proficiency is low across the tested grades, with fourth grade showing a notably low rate and sixth grade a bit higher but still below most peers. In English language arts, the data is suppressed for third and fourth grades, meaning the numbers are too small to report publicly, which can happen when a tested population is very small. For the grades where ELA results are reported, fifth and sixth grade, the proficiency rates are modest. Science results for fifth grade were also suppressed. When compared to other districts in St. Clair County, the school's overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quarter of the group. That is a straightforward signal that academic performance here is lower than what most families would find in neighboring districts, and a parent considering this school should ask the school or district what strategies are in place to improve those results.
Because the school only goes through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. That is not a gap in the school’s performance; it simply means the school does not serve the grades where that metric applies.
Lakeland Elementary itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Enrollment is modest for its grade span, and the school runs a single building from the early grades through upper elementary. The district brief turned up no recently reported changes to the district’s programs, leadership, or policies, so there is no publicly available information about new initiatives or restructuring.
This is a school that fits a family looking for a small, rural elementary setting in a part of Missouri with a slow pace and access to outdoor recreation. The strengths of the school are not in high test scores; the academic profile is clearly an area of concern, especially in math. A family moving to Deepwater or the surrounding area would want to understand what academic supports the school offers and whether the district has plans to address the proficiency gaps. The housing market in the area is more affordable than the national average, which may matter to families weighing options. But the academic data is the most important takeaway: this is a school where most students are not meeting state proficiency standards, and that is the main thing a parent should investigate further.
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