The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in Math. The lowest is 28% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Mckinley Elem.
McKinley Elementary is a regular public school within the Joplin Schools district, serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the southwest Missouri city of Joplin. Joplin is a mid-sized regional hub that functions as the center of a multi-county metropolitan area in the Four State region where Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas meet. The city has a population density that indicates a largely car-dependent built environment, with a historic downtown core on Main Street and modern commercial strips along major roads like the historic Route 66 corridor. McKinley sits in one of Joplin’s residential neighborhoods.
The school is a regular public school; it is not a charter school. It serves a broad student body. A substantial share of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is predominantly white, with small shares of students who are Hispanic, identify as two or more races, Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and Asian. Information on the number of students with disabilities and the number of English learners was not available.
State testing data is available for the most recent school year. In math, performance shows a pattern where proficiency rates decline as grade levels increase from third through fifth. In English language arts, proficiency rates are in a similar range across third and fourth grades, with a slight uptick in fifth grade. In science, tested only at fifth grade, a smaller share of students reached the proficient or advanced level than in the other two subjects. When placed among other Jasper County districts, the school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across all tested subjects and grades, falls below the midpoint. A parent may want to discuss these performance patterns with the school to understand what academic supports are in place and how the school approaches curriculum and instruction in the upper elementary grades.
Because McKinley serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate. The school environment data, including discipline statistics and chronic absenteeism, was not available, so a full picture of school climate and attendance patterns cannot be drawn from the data here. Program offerings, such as gifted education, music, art, or after-school activities, were not described in the data provided.
Joplin Schools has made a recent structural change that matters for families. In early 2023, the district opened a replacement elementary school that consolidated two older schools, whose buildings were closed due to age and safety concerns. This resulted in redrawn attendance boundaries, which shifted where children in those former zones now attend school. A family considering a home in the district may want to verify which elementary school serves a given address, as boundaries were affected by this consolidation.
Overall, McKinley Elementary serves a diverse-by-income student body in a mid-sized regional city. The available state assessment results show proficiency rates that are below the middle of the pack when compared with other Jasper County districts, and the pattern of declining math proficiency through the grades may be worth a closer conversation with the school. For a parent, the absence of detailed program and climate data makes it harder to compare the school’s offerings and environment with others, so a school visit and a direct conversation with the principal would be particularly valuable here.
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