The reported proficiency rate for Math is 27%.
Original Research by School Decision on Running Fox Elem.
Running Fox Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in rural northeastern Missouri. It is part of the Clark County R-I district, a single-district county along the Mississippi River. The school itself sits on a highway near Alexandria, a tiny river town that has experienced sustained population loss over many decades and has limited commercial activity, a high poverty rate, and no walkable downtown. The school’s rural location means it is somewhat isolated; publicly reported sources describe it as far from emergency services and surrounded by open country.
Enrollment is small, as one would expect in a sparsely populated area. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a very small number of Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Roughly half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which tracks with the economic context of the community. The school has roughly even numbers of students across the elementary grades, with a slightly larger group in first grade. Because the school only serves through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and there are no high school metrics such as Advanced Placement or dual-credit offerings.
State assessment results are limited because the school’s small class sizes trigger suppression of data in most grades and subjects. The Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) is the test used. For the most recent testing year, the only result that was reportable without suppression came from fourth-grade math, where about a quarter of students scored at the proficient or advanced level. All other tested grades in math, all grades in English language arts, and fifth-grade science had results suppressed. That means the public data does not give a complete picture of academic performance across the school. In a very small school, suppression is a routine outcome of privacy rules, not necessarily a sign of weak performance, but it does mean a parent would need to ask the school directly for a fuller account of how students are doing.
No data was available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, teacher qualifications, or course access. The district’s brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes or strategic initiatives. Clark County has only one school district, so there are no neighboring districts within the county to compare Running Fox against; the comparison set is effectively just itself.
For a family considering this school, the takeaway is straightforward. Running Fox is a small, rural elementary school in a high-poverty area with very limited local amenities. The academic picture is mostly opaque in public data, with only one grade-level result available. The school’s size means children receive a close-knit, perhaps more individualized experience, but it also means that state accountability measures are often masked. A parent would want to visit, talk with the principal and teachers, and ask about curriculum support and how the school addresses the challenges of a low-income community. The setting itself is quiet and remote, suited to families who value a country environment and are comfortable with a long drive to shopping, health care, or cultural activities.
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