The top reported proficiency rate is 12% in English language arts. The lowest is 4% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Meadows Elem.
Meadows Elementary sits in the Riverview Gardens School District, serving students from kindergarten through fifth grade. The school is located on Edgefield in St. Louis, in a neighborhood that falls within St. Louis County. The school itself is a regular public school and is open.
The student body is small for an elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade. Nearly all students at Meadows Elementary are Black, with a very small share of Hispanic students and an even smaller number of white, Asian, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. Every single student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a point that speaks directly to the economic reality of the families the school serves. The district has a history of financial and academic struggle. According to publicly reported information, the Riverview Gardens School District had been unaccredited and received provisional accreditation in 2020. That history matters here, because unaccredited status in Missouri creates a transfer option for students to attend schools in accredited neighboring districts.
The state testing picture for Meadows Elementary is clear and difficult. On the Missouri Assessment Program, proficiency rates in both math and English language arts were low across all tested grades. In third grade, a very small share of students scored at the proficient level in math, and similarly small shares in English language arts. Fourth-grade results were slightly higher in English language arts but remained low, and math results for that grade stayed low as well. Fifth grade showed the highest proficiency rate in English language arts among all tested grades, but that figure was still low. Fifth-grade math and science proficiency rates were also low. When compared to other school districts in St. Louis County, the school landed in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. A parent looking at these numbers will want to ask the school directly about the specific academic interventions, supports, and instructional strategies in place. The data does not show whether those supports exist, only the outcomes they are meant to address.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and no advanced coursework offerings that would apply at this level. The data did not include information on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, discipline rates, or the availability of programs such as art, music, or physical education. A parent should expect to ask about these directly when visiting the school.
The housing context for the school’s zip code shows modest home values, substantially below the national median. Rental costs are also below the national average. The broader St. Louis area is an independent city with major employers that include the Federal Reserve Bank, a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency facility, and large hospital systems, along with research universities. The city has landmarks like Forest Park, the Gateway Arch, and several museums. The local economy is diversified across service, manufacturing, trade, transportation, and aviation. None of that regional economic strength changes the fact that the immediate neighborhood around the school serves a population with very high economic need.
The provisional accreditation of the Riverview Gardens district remains a central factor. Under Missouri law, families in an unaccredited district can transfer to an accredited one with the home district covering tuition and transportation. That option exists now, but a family moving into the area would want to check the current status directly with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, because provisional accreditation can shift. The transfer option also means that the actual enrollment at Meadows Elementary may reflect families who have chosen to stay, have not exercised the transfer, or are new to the area.
For a family weighing this school, the picture is defined by its high level of economic need, its low state test results relative to the county, and the district’s recent, partial recovery of accreditation. Those are the three facts that matter most. The school itself is small and serves a young population. The neighborhood is affordable by regional standards. The central question a parent has to answer is whether the academic trajectory and available supports fit their child, and that answer will come from time spent inside the building, talking with teachers and the principal about what is being done to move those proficiency numbers.
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