The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 50% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lasalle Springs Middle
LaSalle Springs Middle sits in Wildwood, a large, low-density city in far western St. Louis County that blends residential subdivisions with significant preserved natural areas. The city describes itself as one of the more rural communities in the St. Louis metropolitan area, with residential development concentrated east of State Route 109 in large, traditional subdivisions. The school serves grades six through eight as part of the Rockwood R-VI district and is a regular public school.
The student body is predominantly white, with modest shares of Black and Hispanic students and a small Asian population. A relatively small portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the area’s above-average household incomes. The school enrolls in the upper range for a middle school of its grade band. The overall character is one of socioeconomic stability.
On state assessments, LaSalle Springs Middle shows a picture of mixed performance with a noticeable upward slope in English language arts. In the sixth grade, a majority of students scored proficient or above in ELA, and that share rose further by eighth grade, where a solid majority reached proficiency. Seventh-grade ELA proficiency was lower, though still around the halfway mark. Math results are more varied. Sixth-grade math saw just over half of students proficient, while seventh-grade math dipped below half. Eighth-grade math results were not reported in a usable form. In eighth-grade science, about half of students scored proficient or above. Overall, when all tested subjects and grades are combined, the school’s proficiency index places it above the midpoint among districts in St. Louis County, meaning it performs better than the typical district in the county but is not at the very top of the county’s distribution. A parent considering this school should note the drop in math proficiency between sixth and seventh grades and may want to ask the school how it supports students through that transition.
The school is part of Rockwood R-VI, a district that has passed two recent capital bond issues without increasing the tax rate. Proposition S in 2022 funded safety and security improvements, HVAC upgrades, and technology across all schools. Proposition T in 2024 funded a new elementary school to address enrollment growth, plus further safety upgrades and infrastructure. These investments suggest ongoing attention to facility quality and capacity. The district also shifted its elementary literacy curriculum in the 2023-2024 school year to a science of reading approach, a pedagogical change that will affect students as they move through the system.
Wildwood itself is a car-dependent place with limited walkability. The city has no traditional downtown, and civic life is organized around dispersed facilities. The city was incorporated in the mid-1990s by residents seeking control over growth, and its population has been essentially flat in recent years, with a conservative growth projection. The housing market reflects the area’s affluence, with home values well above national and state benchmarks. The city emphasizes its extensive parks and natural areas, including Babler State Park and Rockwoods Reservation, which make up a substantial portion of its land area. For families, this means a setting that is quieter and more spread out than the denser parts of St. Louis County, with access to outdoor recreation but few walkable commercial corridors.
For a parent weighing this school, LaSalle Springs Middle offers a stable, economically well-situated student population within a district that has invested in its facilities and curriculum. The academic profile is solid but uneven, with ELA performance strengthening as students progress through the grades, while math shows a dip that warrants a closer look. The setting is suburban-rural, car-dependent, and affluent, with limited street life but extensive natural amenities. A family that values a low-density environment, strong district capital investment, and a student body with relatively low poverty will find this a good fit. A family concerned about a drop in middle-school math proficiency may want to investigate how the school supports students in that subject.
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