The top reported proficiency rate is 17% in Math. The lowest is 13% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Laquey R-v High
Laquey R-V High serves seventh through twelfth grade as a regular public school in the Laquey R-V district. With a modest enrollment, it is the sole secondary campus for a rural, unincorporated Ozarks community that has been described as dormant since the 1930s, when Route 66 was straightened and bypassed it. The school campus sits along a rural highway about half a mile southwest of the old crossroads, and the district as a whole—three schools serving all grades—is the primary institutional presence in Laquey. The student body is overwhelmingly white, and a substantial share of students come from low-income households, as reflected in free and reduced-price lunch eligibility. The school environment is quiet and isolated; there is no downtown, no sidewalks, no public transit, and no commercial district. Families in this area live scattered along rural highways, and the dominant regional employer, Fort Leonard Wood, is a short drive to the east.
State testing data at Laquey R-V High comes only from the grades that Missouri tests: seventh and eighth graders take the MAP assessments. Results in math, English language arts, and science show proficiency rates that place the school in the bottom quartile among Pulaski County districts. In seventh-grade math roughly a quarter of students met the proficient or advanced bar, while eighth-grade math performance was markedly lower. English language arts proficiency was also low, with about a fifth of seventh graders and a smaller share of eighth graders reaching that level. Science proficiency in eighth grade was similarly modest. Because Missouri does not administer the MAP in high school grades, there are no state test results for grades nine through twelve. That means a parent cannot evaluate academic performance in those upper grades through the same statewide lens. The school may have its own assessments or other measures, but publicly reported data for the high school years is absent. The graduation rate is also missing from the available information, which is a significant gap for a family weighing the school’s ability to carry students through to a diploma.
The context for these numbers matters. Laquey is a small, static community with little economic development or population growth. Housing costs are roughly in line with the state average, and the area is affordable relative to national benchmarks. Many families connected to Fort Leonard Wood live in the broader region, though Laquey itself remains a quiet, rural pocket. The school’s size means students likely receive more individualized attention than in a larger district, but the academic challenges are real. A parent may want to dig deeper into what supports are in place for students who are below grade level, and whether advanced coursework or career and technical education options are available. No program offerings were included in the data, so that is another area to investigate directly with the school.
Peer environment is shaped by the community’s composition: largely white, heavily low-income, and rural. There is no walkable street life, no downtown gathering spot, and no civic infrastructure beyond the school itself. The school is the community hub. For a family who values a close-knit, small-school setting in a deeply rural area, Laquey R-V High fits that description. For a family seeking broad academic pathways, robust extracurriculars, or a competitive academic peer group, the available evidence suggests caution. The lack of high school testing data and graduation rate makes it hard to judge the school’s upper-grade effectiveness, and the middle school results indicate many students are not meeting state standards. A parent should ask the school directly about college enrollment rates, dual-credit partnerships, and support for students who are behind. The district has no reported recent changes, so the school’s trajectory appears stable, but whether that stability is meeting students’ needs is an open question.
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