The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in Math. The lowest is 62% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Hamilton Elem.
Hamilton Elementary is a regular public school serving children from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the small town of Hamilton, Missouri. It is part of the Hamilton R-II School District, which operates one elementary, one middle, and one high school within the town. The school sits in Caldwell County, a rural area where home values are modestly below the state median and the town’s economy has been reshaped by the presence of the Missouri Star Quilt Company, which owns numerous downtown buildings and draws visitors from across the country.
Academically, Hamilton Elementary stands out among its peers. Compared with other districts in Caldwell County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it among the top. That relative strength comes from state assessment results that vary somewhat by grade and subject. In math, a solid majority of third and fourth graders met or exceeded the state’s proficiency standard. Fifth-grade math results are not reported, typically because the number of test-takers was small enough that the state suppresses the figure to protect student privacy. In English language arts, the third-grade proficiency rate was moderate, while fifth grade showed a stronger share of students reaching the bar; fourth-grade ELA results are also suppressed. In science, only fifth graders are tested, and the school’s results were strong.
Because Hamilton Elementary serves only early elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism and other attendance metrics was not available. The school does not offer the advanced coursework or career pathways that a high school would, so those program fields are not applicable here.
The student body of about that size for a PK‑5 school is overwhelmingly white, with small numbers of Hispanic students and students who identify as two or more races. More than half of the students come from families with low enough incomes to qualify for free or reduced‑price lunch, a share that is substantial and worth noting for families considering the school’s support resources. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported.
The town of Hamilton itself has seen a long‑term population decline, but a recent modest uptick is tied to the quilt company’s expansion, which has filled formerly empty downtown storefronts and made the town a hub for quilting tourism. The downtown core is walkable, with quilt shops, restaurants, and civic buildings concentrated near the center. The school district’s facilities are embedded in that small‑town fabric rather than isolated on separate campuses. City Hall, the police department, and the public library are all on streets within a short distance of the schools.
For a family evaluating Hamilton Elementary, the key takeaway is this: it is a small, community‑anchored school in a rural town that has found an unusual economic niche. Its academic results are strong relative to other districts in the same county, though because the school is small, some grade‑level results are suppressed and cannot be compared. The student body is not diverse, and economic need is common. There is no data on disciplinary incidents, staffing ratios, or course access, so those are unknowns a parent may want to follow up on with the school directly. The housing market in the area is more affordable than the state as a whole, and the town’s character is shaped by a single dominant employer, which families should consider if they prioritize employment diversity or the stability of the local economy.
See more original research from School Decision →