The top reported proficiency rate is 15% in Math. The lowest is 13% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Higbee Middle School
Higbee Middle School serves grades six through eight in the very small rural town of Higbee, Missouri, as a regular public school within the Higbee R-VIII district. The school is tiny: enrollment is modest for a three-grade middle school, and the student body is overwhelmingly white, with a very small share of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of many families in the area.
On the Missouri Assessment Program, the school’s state testing results show low proficiency rates in both math and English language arts. The data available for the most recent school year indicates that in sixth-grade math, just over one in ten students scored proficient or above; in seventh-grade math, fewer than one in five did. Eighth-grade math results were suppressed due to small student counts, as were seventh-grade ELA results and eighth-grade science results. In sixth-grade ELA, roughly one in six students were proficient; in eighth-grade ELA, fewer than one in ten were. When compared to other districts in Randolph County, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. Small enrollment means that a single student’s score can shift percentages noticeably, so families may want to discuss the school’s academic support strategies and intervention programs directly with staff. No data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or course access was available for this profile.
The town of Higbee is compact and car-dependent, with residents reporting high rates of vehicle ownership and commuting times typical of rural Missouri. Local employment is anchored by barrel-making and distilling businesses, and the largest job sectors are health care, food service, and retail. Homeownership rates are high, and property values are modest compared to state benchmarks. The population has seen a decline followed by a recent uptick, but no major new housing or commercial development was mentioned in publicly available sources.
At the district level, publicly reported figures indicate a multi-year decline in per-student spending and per-student revenue, a trend that directly affects classrooms. The district’s high school graduation rate has also fallen substantially over the past several years. While Higbee Middle School itself does not have a graduation rate to report, these district-wide financial and outcome trends are relevant for any family considering the school system, as they signal resource constraints that may shape programming, staffing, and support services.
No information on after-school programs, elective offerings, or specialized academic pathways was provided. The school’s website was not included in the source materials, so a parent would need to reach out directly to learn about extracurriculars, tutoring, or any enrichment opportunities. Given the small size of the school, classes are likely to be intimate, and staff may be able to offer individualized attention, but the available data does not confirm that.
Higbee Middle School fits a family that values a very small, rural setting and is aware of the academic challenges reflected in state assessments. Parents should investigate how the school supports students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks, what resources are available despite the district’s financial tightening, and whether the school’s atmosphere aligns with their child’s needs. The lack of data on staffing, student-teacher ratios, and disciplinary climate makes it important to gather that information directly.
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