West Lane Elem., Jackson MO - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on West Lane Elem.

West Lane Elementary serves kindergarten through fourth grade in Jackson, Missouri, a town that describes itself as the fastest growing community in Southeast Missouri and one that CNN Money Magazine once ranked among the best small towns in the country. The school sits within the Jackson R-II district, which has recently responded to growth by opening a new elementary school for the 2024-2025 school year and approving a bond issue for facility upgrades and security improvements without raising property taxes. The district also opened an Innovation Center at the high school focused on STEM fields and adopted a new five-year strategic plan in 2025. For a family looking at West Lane, these moves signal a district that is actively expanding and investing in its facilities and programs.

Academically, the school's performance on the Missouri Assessment Program places it in a strong position relative to other elementary schools in Cape Girardeau County. Across tested subjects and grade levels, overall proficiency is among the top tier of the county, a measure that draws on results from third and fourth grade math and English language arts. Third graders posted proficiency rates above the majority mark in both subjects, while fourth graders showed a similar pattern in math but a noticeably softer result in English language arts, where just under half of students reached the proficient level. A parent may want to follow up with the school to understand how fourth grade literacy is addressed and whether supports are in place. Science testing data for the school is not current, so no recent picture of that subject is available.

The student body is small and overwhelmingly white. A significant share of students, well over a third, qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a moderate level of economic diversity. No data was reported for students with disabilities or English learners, so it is unclear what share of the population receives those services. The school does not serve grades that would generate a graduation rate, so that metric does not apply.

The community context matters here. Jackson's housing market has been appreciating at a pace that outpaces both the state and the nation, reflecting the area's growth. The town offers a traditional courthouse square, parks, and a library branch, with access to larger retail and healthcare in nearby Cape Girardeau. The built environment is a mix of historic homes and suburban subdivisions, and much of the city requires a car for errands beyond the uptown core. For a parent considering this school, it sits within a district that is planning for enrollment increases and modernizing its secondary offerings, though the immediate peer environment at West Lane is a relatively small and homogeneous elementary community.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 358%

School 58% · District 54% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 57% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 50% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 54% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 46% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median

This schoolJACKSON R-II, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income22%Higher-income75%52 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income37%Higher-income54%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income53%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income30%Higher-income73%43 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income37%Higher-income58%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income47%17 pp gap