The top reported proficiency rate is 15% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Washington Elem.
Washington Elementary is a regular public school serving grades one through eight in St. Louis, part of the Normandy Schools Collaborative. It is a neighborhood school situated on North Hanley Road in a section of the city that falls within St. Louis County. The school itself is not a charter or magnet.
The student body is almost entirely composed of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that stands at the highest possible level. The demographic makeup is predominantly Black, with a much smaller representation of Hispanic students, students of two or more races, and white students. The school’s enrollment is concentrated in the early grades, with grades one through six each having a student count in the several dozens, while grades seven and eight have only a handful of students total. This creates an environment where the vast majority of students are in elementary-level classes, with a very small upper-grade cohort.
State testing results from the Missouri Assessment Program show low rates of proficiency across all tested subjects and grades. In math, the share of students scoring at or above proficient was below one in five in the lowest of the tested grades and dropped further in each subsequent grade. In English language arts, rates were slightly higher but still low, with a similar pattern of decline as students moved from third to fifth grade. In science, the proficiency rate was similarly low. Compared to other school districts in St. Louis County, Washington Elementary’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand the specific academic supports in place.
Because the school serves grades one through eight, it does not have a graduation rate, as it does not serve the high school grades where that metric applies. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, and course access were not available, so those dimensions of the school’s environment cannot be described here. No information on special education or English learner populations was reported.
St. Louis is an independent city with a diverse economy anchored by service, manufacturing, trade, transportation, and aviation industries. Major employers include the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the Washington University Medical Center. The city is also home to major research universities and well-known cultural institutions such as the Gateway Arch, Forest Park, and the Saint Louis Zoo. The city saw a major bond issue pass in recent years for the Normandy Schools Collaborative, funding a comprehensive renovation of Normandy High School that includes a new cafeteria, culinary arts suite, and a secured connector between buildings. The district has also stated it is realigning curriculum to prepare students for workforce needs and college readiness alongside these physical upgrades.
Housing costs in the immediate area around the school are well below the national benchmark, with home prices and rents both reflecting a relatively affordable market compared to the broader St. Louis County region and the country as a whole. The area around the school sits within a zip code with a modestly rising market, with both sale prices and rents having increased slightly year over year.
For a family considering Washington Elementary, the picture is of a small elementary-focused school serving a population with very high economic need, where academic proficiency on state assessments is low and sits at the bottom end of the county’s range. The district is investing in its high school facilities and curriculum, but at the elementary level, families would want to ask directly about the programs and interventions available to support student learning and growth.
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