Original Research by School Decision on Central Early Childhood Center
Central Early Childhood Center is a public pre-kindergarten school in Florissant, Missouri, serving only four-year-olds. It is part of the Hazelwood School District, a suburban district in St. Louis County. Because the school serves only preschool, it does not participate in state academic assessments, and there is no graduation rate or chronic absenteeism data to report. These measures simply do not apply to this grade band, and a parent should not read the absence as a weakness.
The school enrolls a modest number of children. The student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller share of White students and very small numbers of Hispanic and Asian children. A notable portion of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community with a range of economic backgrounds. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source materials, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about its support for those populations.
Central Early Childhood Center is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. It is part of the Hazelwood School District, which has publicly reported several recent changes relevant to families of young children. The district adopted a new strategic plan covering 2023 through 2028, with goals that include improving student achievement, expanding resources for students, and increasing parent engagement. More concretely, the district now offers pre-K programs in all nineteen of its elementary schools, meaning families with preschool-age children have options beyond this separate early childhood center. The district also launched a virtual elementary program, giving families a permanent online learning alternative for elementary grades. These district-level developments shape the context for Central Early Childhood Center: it is not the only pre-K offering in Hazelwood, and parents may weigh whether a neighborhood school program or this standalone center better fits their needs.
The school is located in Florissant, a suburb in St. Louis County. Housing values in the area are moderate relative to national benchmarks, and the rental market reflects similar affordability. The county housing market has seen some price softening recently, with a small dip in median listing prices and a slight increase in active listings. For a family considering a move to the area, these figures suggest a market that is neither overheated nor distressed, with homes typically selling within about a month. The broader economic context includes a national unemployment rate in the low single digits and mortgage rates that have fluctuated in the mid-six percent range.
Because the school serves only one grade level, there is no course access or program data to describe beyond its basic preschool function. The absence of state test scores, graduation rates, and comparison metrics is entirely expected for a pre-K center. What a parent can take away is that this is a dedicated early childhood facility within a district that has made early learning a stated priority. The Hazelwood district’s strategic plan explicitly focuses on student achievement and resource expansion, and the recent addition of pre-K at every elementary school signals that the district sees early childhood as important. Whether a family chooses this center or an elementary-based pre-K will depend on location preference, the specific program model, and the logistics of transitioning to kindergarten.
The available data gives a straightforward picture: a small, pre-K-only school serving a diverse and moderately low-income student body, operating within a district that is actively expanding its early childhood footprint. There are no test results to judge, no graduation rates to consider, and no program listings to compare. For a parent of a four-year-old, the practical question may be whether this center or a neighborhood school pre-K offers the better fit. The school’s website and direct conversations with staff would be the next step for details on curriculum, daily schedule, and how the center prepares children for kindergarten in the Hazelwood system.
See more original research from School Decision →