The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in English language arts. The lowest is 53% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Ballwin Elem.
Ballwin Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the Rockwood R-VI school district, one of two districts that serve the western St. Louis suburb of Ballwin. The school occupies a spot in a community that is primarily residential, car-dependent, and made up of single-family subdivisions, apartments, and strip commercial development along Manchester Road. Ballwin does not have a traditional downtown; civic functions are centered around the municipal government center and the Pointe at Ballwin Commons community center. Families considering this school are looking at a suburban setting where daily life revolves around driving between home, school, shopping, and the area’s several parks.
The school’s enrollment is moderate for an elementary serving kindergarten through fifth grade. The student body is majority white, with a sizable Asian population, and smaller shares of Hispanic, Black, multiracial, and American Indian students. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available for this school.
On state assessments, Ballwin Elementary’s results show a mixed picture. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was above the midpoint when compared with districts across St. Louis County, but the pattern across grades is uneven. Third and fourth graders posted one level of performance, while fifth graders were lower. In English language arts, third and fifth graders performed at a similar level; the fourth-grade result was suppressed and not reported. In science, tested only in fifth grade, the proficiency rate was in line with the school’s other results. Overall, the school’s proficiency index places it above the midpoint among districts in St. Louis County, which is a solid position, though the drop in fifth-grade math is a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school.
Because this school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on chronic absenteeism was available.
The housing market in the area reflects a typical suburban pattern. Home values and rents are above the national median, and the typical monthly mortgage payment is higher than the typical rent, which may matter for families weighing buying versus renting. The local housing market shows a modest increase in active listings and a slight decline in median listing prices year over year, suggesting a market that is cooling somewhat but remains active.
Rockwood R-VI, the district that operates this school, has made several recent changes that affect Ballwin Elementary families directly. Voters approved a substantial bond issue in 2024 for capital projects including a new elementary school to address enrollment growth, along with safety upgrades, HVAC replacements, and technology infrastructure. An earlier bond issue in 2022 funded safety and security improvements, technology upgrades, and facility renovations across all district schools. Starting in the 2023-2024 school year, the district adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum aligned with the science of reading approach, replacing the previous balanced literacy model. This change includes new instructional materials and teacher training and represents a lasting shift in how reading is taught across all nineteen elementary schools in the district.
For a family trying to understand this school, the picture that emerges is of a suburban elementary within a large, active district that has been investing in facilities and changing its academic approach. The school’s academic results are a step above the midpoint for the county, but not uniformly so, and the dip in fifth-grade math is worth a conversation with the school. The student body is diverse but not in a way that is unusual for a west-county suburb, and the economic profile is relatively advantaged. The surrounding community offers parks, a golf course, and a community center, but no traditional walkable downtown and no public library branch within Ballwin itself. Families who value a district that has recently put money and attention into facilities and literacy instruction may find this alignment reassuring. Those concerned about the math performance in the upper elementary grades will want to ask what support the school provides for students who are not yet meeting the bar.
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