The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in Science. The lowest is 40% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Garrett Elem.
Garrett Elementary sits within the Hazelwood School District, a second-ring northern suburb of St. Louis. The city itself is a mix of industrial parks, commercial corridors, and residential subdivisions, with major employers such as Boeing, Amazon, and Mallinckrodt providing a substantial local job base. The area is auto-oriented and lacks a walkable downtown core; families tend to drive to schools, shopping, and services. The district has recently adopted a strategic plan covering several years that emphasizes student achievement, expanded resources, professional growth, fiscal responsibility, and parent involvement. Notably, the district now offers pre-K programs in all of its elementary schools, including Garrett, and has also launched a virtual elementary program as a permanent alternative to in-person instruction.
Garrett Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Its enrollment is modest for an elementary school within this grade band. The student body is diverse: more than half of students are Black, with a smaller but notable share of white students, a Hispanic population, a small Asian cohort, and a modest number of students identifying as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves many families with lower household incomes. This economic profile is an important piece of context for understanding the school’s academic results.
On state assessments, Garrett’s performance presents a mixed picture. In third-grade math, a little under half of students scored proficient or above. Fourth-grade math was lower, with a smaller share reaching that bar. Fifth-grade math improved, with a share that lands in a similar range as third grade. In English language arts, third-grade results showed about a third of students proficient or above. Fourth-grade ELA results were suppressed and not reported, so no conclusion can be drawn for that grade. Fifth-grade ELA was stronger, with just under half of students meeting proficiency. Fifth-grade science results mirrored the math results at that grade level. Looking at the school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades, the school sits above the midpoint among districts in St. Louis County. This tells you that, relative to other schools in the same county, Garrett’s combined performance is not at the bottom but also not among the highest-performing schools. Parents may want to pay attention to the drop in fourth-grade math proficiency and the suppressed ELA data for that grade; whether these reflect a cohort effect or something about instruction in that grade is worth asking the school about.
Because Garrett only goes through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available. These are typical gaps for an elementary school, as many states do not report attendance or graduation measures at this level. The school does not have a charter or magnet designation.
Housing in the area around the school has seen a recent slight decline in median home values, and rents have increased. The county housing market shows a moderate number of active listings and a median listing price that is lower than the national benchmark, making homeownership more accessible here than in many parts of the country. The area’s supply of homes has been steady, and homes tend to sell within a month or so. For families considering a move to Hazelwood, the housing market offers relatively affordable entry points compared to the national picture.
The district itself has more than a dozen elementary schools, several middle schools, and multiple high schools, so a child attending Garrett will eventually move to a district middle school and high school. The district’s strategic plan and programmatic expansions, including pre-K at every elementary school and a virtual option, give families some choices within the public system. Parents considering Garrett should weigh its academic results, especially the variability across grade levels and subjects, against the broader district offerings and the practical realities of life in this suburban, industrial city.
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