The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 41% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on South Elem.
South Elementary is a regular public school in Jefferson City, Missouri, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits within the Jefferson City district, which covers the state capital and its surrounding area. The school enrolls about three hundred students, making it a smaller elementary school for its grade band.
The student body is racially and ethnically diverse. Black and White students each make up a substantial portion of enrollment, followed by smaller shares of students who are Asian, Hispanic, of two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. A very large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, well above typical levels for the district and state. That concentration of economic disadvantage is a defining characteristic of the school and shapes the resources and support families can expect. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the material reviewed, so a parent may want to ask the school about those populations directly.
Academically, South Elementary participates in Missouri’s statewide MAP assessments in math, English language arts, and science. Proficiency rates varied noticeably by grade and subject. In math, third graders posted a rate in the higher thirties, fourth graders in the upper fifties, and fifth graders in the mid-twenties. In English language arts, third graders were around the mid-thirties, fourth-grade results were suppressed, and fifth graders were in the low fifties. The fifth-grade science result was also suppressed. Suppressed data typically occurs when a small number of students are tested or when reporting thresholds are not met, and it does not imply a weak performance; it simply means the public record does not include a precise figure. Across the tested subjects and grades, the overall proficiency index for the school sits above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Cole County. That means South Elementary performs better than several of its district peers on this composite measure, though the range across the county is wide.
Because South Elementary serves only elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report, and no chronic absenteeism data was available in the source material. The school’s website or district office may be able to provide attendance and disciplinary information that was not included in the public data.
Jefferson City itself is a mid-sized state capital with an economy anchored by government, healthcare, manufacturing, and higher education. The Missouri State Capitol dominates the downtown skyline, and Lincoln University, a public historically Black university, is located within the city. The community has experienced a modest population decline in recent years, and an EF-3 tornado caused extensive damage on the southwest side of the city not long ago, which likely influenced local development patterns. Home values in the zip code serving the school are slightly above the state average, and rents have been rising. For most households, renting is more affordable than buying at current mortgage rates. The district brief turned up no major recent changes in Jefferson City schools’ operations, leadership, or boundaries that would affect enrollment or programming.
South Elementary offers no special academic tracks or themed programs in the data provided, but as a neighborhood elementary school it provides the foundational instruction in core subjects that all students in the district receive. Families choosing this school should consider the high poverty context and ask about supports such as tutoring, extracurricular offerings, and whether the school has a Title I designation or additional federal funding to address student needs. The peer environment is diverse and economically concentrated, which may appeal to families seeking that mix or who prioritize a school that serves a wide range of backgrounds. The academic results are uneven, with stronger outcomes in fourth-grade math and fifth-grade English than in third-grade or fifth-grade math, so it is worth understanding how the school addresses those gaps.
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