The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 38%.
Original Research by School Decision on Risco Elem.
Risco Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It is the sole elementary school of the Risco R-II district, and its roughly 80 students come from the very small rural city of Risco in New Madrid County. Risco sits along U.S. Route 62 in Missouri’s Bootheel, a community of low housing values, high homeownership, and a car-dependent layout. The school campus is co-located with the district’s middle-high school and gymnasium on the same plot along the highway, making it the civic heart of a town that has no major employers within its limits — most residents commute to nearby towns for work in health care, agriculture, or manufacturing.
Because the school serves only early and middle grades, there is no graduation rate data and no high school level program offerings such as AP or dual credit. State test results for the 2024-25 school year are almost entirely suppressed, a common situation for a school with small per-grade enrollments — each tested grade had fewer than two dozen students, and Missouri suppresses results when group sizes are too small to protect student privacy. Only one grade-subject combination, fourth-grade English language arts, had enough students to report a proficiency rate. That measure places Risco Elementary among the stronger performers relative to other districts in New Madrid County, in the top quarter of the four-district comparison set. However, a parent should note that this single data point is based on a small group and does not give a full picture of math or science achievement across all grades. For a fuller understanding, families may want to ask the school directly how its students are performing in those subjects and what assessment trends look like.
The student body is predominantly white, with a small number of Hispanic students and students of two or more races. About two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that reflects the area’s modest income levels. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available, so a parent interested in those supports may wish to inquire with the school. No information on chronic absenteeism or discipline was reported, and no course access or staffing data was provided. The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes to operations, curriculum, or facilities.
Risco Elementary offers a small, rural environment where the school and the town are tightly bound. Class sizes are very small, and the school’s single reported test result suggests solid performance relative to its county peers. For a family looking for a close-knit elementary experience in a low-cost, car-dependent rural setting, this school fits that profile. The limited available testing data means that some academic details remain unclear, and families accustomed to more comprehensive reporting may need to seek additional information from the district.
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