The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in English language arts. The lowest is 25% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Clarence Cannon Elem.
Clarence Cannon Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fourth grade in the Elsberry R-II district. Because it does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and state testing data is only available for the grades that are assessed, third and fourth.
The town of Elsberry is small and rural, located roughly an hour north of St. Louis at the meeting point of Mississippi River bottomlands and the Lincoln Hills region. Its compact layout centers on a Broadway corridor where city hall and the city collector’s office sit. The town’s motto is “The Little Town With A Big Heart,” and publicly reported descriptions emphasize a mix of agriculture and industry. Civic life includes the Joseph R. Palmer Family Memorial Library, and the surrounding area offers conservation areas and opportunities for wildlife viewing. The population has shown modest growth in recent years. No major new housing developments were found in available sources, and the district brief turned up no evidence of recent referendums, property-tax shifts, or curriculum overhauls with lasting impact.
Clarence Cannon Elementary enrolls roughly 300 students across grades PK through four, with the largest single grade being fourth. The student body is predominantly white, with a much smaller share of students who identify as two or more races and very small shares of Hispanic, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. Just over two-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that indicates a substantial share of families are in lower-income circumstances. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available in the state reporting, so a parent who needs those specifics should check directly with the school.
On the Missouri Assessment Program tests taken in the 2024-25 school year, the school’s results show a pattern of relatively low proficiency. In third grade, both math and English language arts proficiency rates were well below a majority reaching the proficient or advanced levels. Fourth grade results were higher, with roughly a third of students meeting the proficiency bar in math and close to two-fifths doing so in English language arts. Still, when the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades is compared against all four districts in Lincoln County, it falls into the bottom quartile. That is a soft spot. A parent may want to ask the school how it identifies students who are behind and what academic supports are in place, especially in the early primary years where the third-grade numbers are the weakest.
The school’s setting is calm and traditional. As a PK-4 building, it is a starting point for families in the Elsberry district, with students moving on to a middle school and then Elsberry High School. The housing market in the area reflects a modest, working-rural context. Home values in the surrounding zip code are below the state benchmark, and the national benchmark is higher still. Monthly mortgage costs based on prevailing rates would be manageable for many households in the region, and the area sits within Lincoln County, which has seen some growth as part of the broader St. Louis orbit.
For a family weighing whether this school fits, the picture is fairly straightforward. This is a small, rural elementary school with a high share of students from lower-income backgrounds and academic outcomes that are below most peers in the county. The community is tight-knit and the town offers limited but genuine civic and natural amenities. A parent who values a small-town environment and wants to be actively involved in a school that may need to lift its academic performance could find a good match here. A parent looking for a school with strong test scores or a wide array of program options would want to examine what supports the district offers before deciding.
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