The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 32%.
Original Research by School Decision on Clopton Middle
Clopton Middle serves a small number of students in sixth through eighth grade in Clarksville, a very small Mississippi River town in Pike County. The school is part of the Pike County R-III district, which also operates Clopton Elementary and Clopton High School within the town. Clarksville has experienced a long-term population decline and is primarily residential, with a tourism and antiquing element anchored by a large antique center and a growing candle factory. The town’s small footprint means schools and civic life are closely integrated; there is no separated school campus. The dominant local development story is a planned removable flood wall funded by federal and state grants, reflecting the town’s repeated flooding history that has suppressed riverfront business growth. No major new housing developments are referenced in publicly available sources.
The student body is overwhelmingly white, with small shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school’s enrollment for its grade band is small, with somewhat more students in seventh grade than in sixth or eighth. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available.
State testing results for Clopton Middle are largely suppressed, which Missouri does when a tested group has fewer than a certain number of students. For the 2024-25 school year, the Missouri Assessment Program results in mathematics were suppressed for all three grades. Science results for eighth grade were also suppressed. In English language arts, the seventh-grade proficiency rate was reported, and it placed in the bottom quartile among districts in Pike County for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. The comparison set includes a handful of districts in the county. Eighth-grade and sixth-grade ELA results were suppressed. Because most results are suppressed, it is difficult to get a full picture of academic performance from state testing alone. A parent may want to ask the school directly about assessment results and how student progress is measured in the grades and subjects where data is not publicly reported.
Community and economic context shows that housing values in the area are below the national benchmark and below the state benchmark. The estimated monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home is moderate relative to the national median household income. The national unemployment rate and rent index are stable.
The district brief did not surface any recent curriculum changes, property-tax issues, or referenda meeting a four-year lasting-impact bar. No program offerings data was available for the school itself, nor were there civil-rights or discipline data to review.
For families considering Clopton Middle, the picture is one of a small, rural middle school in a town facing population loss and flood risk but investing in infrastructure. The student population is not diverse. The building is located integrated into the compact town center rather than on a separate campus. With most state assessment results suppressed, families may need to engage directly with the school to understand academic performance trends. The district operates a K-12 continuum in the same town, so the elementary and high school experiences are within the same local context. There is no evidence of major recent changes or disruptions in the district. The school fits a family seeking a small, rural environment where the school is woven into the daily life of a quiet Mississippi River town.
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