The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Math. The lowest is 51% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Harry S. Truman Elem.
Harry S. Truman Elementary serves the youngest students in the Rolla 31 district, from prekindergarten through third grade. Because it is an early-elementary school, there is no graduation rate or high school metrics. The school’s purpose is to build foundational literacy and math skills, and state testing results are available for one tested grade.
On the Missouri Assessment Program, third graders at Truman showed a mix of results. In math, more than half of students scored at or above the proficient level. In English language arts, just over half did. When combined into an overall proficiency index, the school’s performance sits in the top quarter among elementary schools in Phelps County. The cohort of comparison schools is small, but within that group Truman’s results are the strongest. A parent may still want to ask the school how it supports students who are not yet at the proficient mark, particularly in reading, where a larger share of students fell below that threshold.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which means the school serves a population with substantial economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the reporting, so a parent should ask the school directly about those programs and supports.
Rolla itself is a university town and county seat with a steady growth trend. Missouri University of Science and Technology anchors the local economy, alongside federal research facilities and manufacturers like Brewer Science, Royal Canin, and Hartmann North America. The town has a historic downtown core and an extensive parks system with walking trails, but is largely car-dependent. Housing values in the area are below the national median, and rents have risen faster than home prices. For a family weighing where to live, the district spans the city and its immediate surroundings, and Truman Elementary sits in the eastern part of Rolla.
No major district changes or bond measures were found in recent public records for Rolla 31, so the school’s programs and boundaries appear stable. The district runs several other elementary schools as well as a middle and high school, so families with children at Truman will eventually move on to those buildings.
Truman is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and there was no information about Title I status. The grade span is tight: pre-K through third grade. That means a child will attend for four to five years and then transition to a different elementary or intermediate school in the district. For a parent researching schools, the key question is fit: Truman’s proficiency results are solid for its county context, the student body is economically diverse, and the community offers a mix of university and industrial employment. The absence of data on special education and English learner services is a gap worth exploring directly with the school.
See more original research from School Decision →