The top reported proficiency rate is 8% in Science. The lowest is 6% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Griffith Elementary
Griffith Elementary is a regular public school in the Ferguson-Florissant R-II School District, serving only grades three through five. The school has a single building on Day Drive in Ferguson, a mostly residential suburb in north St. Louis County with a predominantly Black population. The city has seen a measurable population decline in recent years, and while there has been notable new commercial development, the departure of a major corporate headquarters from Ferguson early this year represents a significant economic shift. Housing values in the zip code around the school are well below county and national medians, and the rental market, though lower than the wider area, has seen upward pressure. Nearly every family whose child attends Griffith qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, indicating very high levels of economic need.
Academically, the state assessment results for the most recent school year are clear: proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science are all very low. That pattern holds across all three grades the school serves. In third-grade math and fifth-grade math, for instance, the share of students scoring proficient or above was in the low single digits. Fourth-grade math was somewhat higher but still well below a quarter of students. In ELA, third grade had a slightly higher rate than math, but fourth and fifth grades stayed in the low single digits. Fifth-grade science was similarly low. When Griffith is placed alongside other elementary schools within the same county district set, its overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile. There is no multi-year trend data available, so it is not possible to see whether these numbers have been stable, improving, or declining. A parent considering Griffith will want to look into what academic support and intervention programs the school offers and how the school is working to move these numbers, because the current test results represent one of the more challenging academic environments in the county.
The student body of roughly three hundred children is almost entirely Black, with a small number of white, two-or-more-races, and Hispanic students. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it does not report having a magnet theme or special program. There is no information available about the share of students receiving special education services or English learner support, which is a gap a parent may want to ask about directly. As for the larger district context, Ferguson-Florissant R-II has been experiencing a significant drop in enrollment over the past decade, and it has announced a restructuring plan for the 2027-28 school year that is likely to involve school closures, boundary changes, or grade reconfiguration. The district has already closed some elementary schools in recent years and converted one of its high schools into a selective STEAM academy, a pattern that indicates the district is actively reshaping its footprint. That restructuring could affect which elementary school a child attends, so families should be aware that Griffith’s attendance zone may change.
Growth and development in Ferguson itself is a mixed picture. The city has seen new commercial investment, but the population has been shrinking, and the loss of Emerson Electric’s headquarters is a notable shift. The city has parks, a municipal library, and a civic core, and it sits within a short drive of a major airport and multiple interstates. For a family, the housing market in this pocket of St. Louis County is relatively affordable compared to much of the region, but the economic context in the school community is strained. Griffith Elementary is a school where the academic starting point, as measured by state tests, is far below most peers in the county, and where the surrounding district is in a period of active reorganization. A parent would want to visit, ask about intervention strategies and student support staffing, and consider how the upcoming restructuring might shape the school’s future.
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