The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in Math. The lowest is 24% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Oak Hill Elem.
Oak Hill Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in the rural Oak Hill R-I district, located outside Salem in Dent County. It is the only school in its district, covering all grades up to high school. The student body is small and overwhelmingly white, with a sizable share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits within a community that has experienced a modest population decline and where the economy is anchored by retail, health care, and a historically prominent wood-products industry. Housing in the area is notably more affordable than state and national benchmarks, which may be relevant for families considering a move.
Academically, the school’s state assessment results are mixed and, in many grade levels, simply unreported. For the grades where data was available, proficiency rates in both math and English language arts were below the middle of the range among districts in Dent County. In the tested elementary grades, roughly a quarter of students met the state’s proficient or advanced benchmark in math, and a similar share did so in English language arts. By sixth grade, the math proficiency rate was modestly higher. For several grade levels, including fifth and seventh grade English language arts and seventh and eighth grade math, the state suppressed the results, often a sign of very small class sizes where reporting a rate could identify individual students. The same applies to science testing in fifth and eighth grades. Because Oak Hill is a K-8 school, there is no high school graduation rate to consider.
Overall, the pattern is one of a small, rural school community where academic attainment on state measures tends to fall below the typical levels seen across the county. A parent moving into the area may want to discuss directly with the school how they approach instruction and support, particularly for students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks. The school was not identified as a charter or magnet, and there is no publicly available information on its Title I status, disciplinary climate, or course offerings in areas such as career or technical education.
The locale is Salem, a small Ozarks county seat where civic life centers on the historic courthouse square, community events at the Dent County Commons, and outdoor recreation at nearby conservation areas and state parks. The Oak Hill district appears to be an independent rural district rather than part of the Salem school system, so families should be aware that the school’s attendance boundary likely covers a sparsely populated area along State Highway 19 south of town rather than the town itself. The parent district brief did not identify any recent major changes such as boundary shifts, bond measures, or program overhauls that would affect a family’s decision.
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