The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in Math. The lowest is 44% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Belair Elem.
Belair Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Jefferson City, a regular public school within the Jefferson City school district. The school sits in Missouri’s state capital, a mid-sized city built around the Capitol complex on a bluff above the Missouri River, where state government anchors the economy alongside healthcare, manufacturing, and higher education institutions such as Lincoln University. The city’s population has experienced a modest decline in recent years, and the housing market in the school’s ZIP code shows home values and rents that are roughly in line with state-level benchmarks, though a longer commute to the downtown core or to major employers like Hitachi and Capital Region Medical Center can factor into a family’s decision about where to live.
The student body at Belair is predominantly white, with Black and Hispanic students each making up a notable share, and a smaller proportion of students who identify as two or more races. More than half of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that gives the school a moderate level of economic diversity relative to other elementary schools in the district. Enrollment is in the typical range for a mid-sized K-5 building in a district of this size, with a fairly even distribution across grade levels.
On state assessments, Belair’s results show a pattern that varies by subject and grade. In third-grade math, a majority of students scored proficient or above. By fourth grade, the share in that same category was lower, then rose again in fifth grade. English language arts scores followed a similar undulating path: third grade over half proficient, fourth grade a noticeably lower figure, and fifth grade back up. Fifth-grade science proficiency fell below the midpoint. Overall, when the school’s scores are averaged across all tested subjects and grades, its composite landing spot places it in the top quartile among elementary schools in Cole County. That means on the whole its performance is stronger than many of its peers in the county, though the fourth-grade dip in both math and English suggests there may be a cohort-specific dynamic or instructional transition a parent may want to ask the school about.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. The district boundary is coterminous with Jefferson City itself, meaning the geographic and economic context of the city is the same for all families within the district. No recent major changes to district policy or programming were identified in publicly available sources. The tornado that struck the southwest side of the city in a recent year may have affected some families’ housing choices, but the district brief turned up no direct information about how that event shaped school operations or enrollment patterns.
Belair is a school where academic performance overall is competitive within its county, with a student body that reflects the economic mix of the capital city. It fits a family looking for a public elementary option in Jefferson City’s established neighborhoods, though the street life and commercial walkability are concentrated downtown rather than in all parts of the city. The district’s lack of published information on recent program changes means families would need to reach out directly for specifics on curriculum, specials, or support services. The data available offers a solid picture of test performance and student demographics, but leaves questions about staffing, discipline, and course access unanswered.
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