The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in Math. The lowest is 67% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Festus Elem.
Festus Elementary serves kindergarten through third grade in the Festus R-VI School District, located in a suburban city about a half-hour south of downtown St. Louis. The school occupies a spot in a community shaped by Interstate 55, which splits the town into east and west sections, and by commercial growth along highway corridors. Students come from a student body that is predominantly white, with small shares of students who are two or more races, Black, Hispanic, Asian, or American Indian or Alaska Native. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that gives a sense of the economic mix of families the school serves.
Because Festus Elementary only covers the early elementary years, there is no graduation rate to report, no chronic absenteeism data available, and no information on discipline, staffing, or course access in the data provided. The missing data is not a judgment on the school but a reflection of its grade band. State testing results are available for third graders, the only tested grade in the building. On the Missouri Assessment Program, the share of third graders scoring proficient or above in math was solidly above the midpoint among districts in Jefferson County, and the share in English language arts also came in above the county median. Overall proficiency across tested subjects placed the school in the top quarter of districts in the county. For a school that only has one tested grade, this is a strong signal about academic preparation at that level.
The community context matters for families considering this school. Festus has a historic downtown Main Street district with restaurants, a brewery, and specialty shops, and the city operates several parks, the largest of which includes two fishing lakes and facilities for multiple sports. The city has seen concurrent commercial and residential growth, particularly along Highway A and Truman Boulevard. A recent annexation and data center proposal created political friction, with voters turning out four city councilors in the spring 2026 elections and a recall petition launched against the mayor. This is a community in motion, with growth bringing both development and debate.
Housing values in the area sit a bit above the state benchmark, and the market has been appreciating. The typical home in the zip code is valued at a level that makes homeownership a significant investment, and the national affordability picture shows the typical home costing roughly three and a half times median household income. Rent data was not available for this specific location.
The district itself did not have any recent parent-relevant changes reported in publicly available sources, so families should look to the school's website and district communications for current information on boundaries, transportation, and programming. Festus Elementary is a straight-ahead early elementary school in a growing suburban city, with test performance that looks strong relative to its county peers in the grades it serves. A family with a young child starting school here would find a large elementary building, a community with active commercial development and recent political debate, and a housing market that shows steady appreciation. The school's narrow grade band means any family will be planning for a transition to an upper elementary or intermediate school after third grade, a detail worth confirming with the district.
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