Coleman Elem., St Joseph MO - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Coleman Elem.

Coleman Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in the St. Joseph School District. The school sits in the eastern part of the city, and its roughly 400 students come from a community where every single student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. That universality matters: this is a school serving a high-poverty population.

The student body is diverse. The largest group is White, but substantial shares of students are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, two or more races, Hispanic, Black, and Asian. The mix of backgrounds is wider than what you might see in many elementary schools in the region.

On state assessments, Coleman’s results are modest across tested grades and subjects. In math, the share of students scoring proficient ranged from about a quarter in fourth grade to just over two-fifths in sixth grade. In English language arts, the range was narrower, with proficient rates around a third in the upper grades and lower in the early ones. Fifth-grade science results fell in between. When compared to other districts in Buchanan County, a group that includes only three districts total, Coleman’s overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint. The comparison set is small, so that positioning carries less weight than it would in a larger county, but it still points to academic challenges. A parent considering the school may want to discuss what supports are in place to address these numbers, particularly given the high-need student population.

St. Joseph itself is a mid-sized industrial city on the Missouri River. Its economy is anchored by food processing, animal health pharmaceuticals, and heavy equipment manufacturing. The city is home to Missouri Western State University and a historic downtown with museums and a performing arts theater. Population has been gradually declining in recent years, and the city’s growth pattern has been one of industrial stability rather than residential expansion. The St. Joseph School District is undergoing changes: a district-wide grade reconfiguration begins in the upcoming school year, converting a high school into a middle school and a middle school into an elementary school. That kind of shift can affect attendance boundaries and building assignments, so families in the district may want to track how it unfolds.

Housing costs in the zip code area around the school are roughly in line with statewide averages, and monthly mortgage and rent costs are modest compared to national figures. The city has a publicly owned bus system and a network of parks and trails, though the overall layout is car-oriented.

No information was available on programs such as gifted education, music, or after-school offerings, nor on staffing ratios, discipline, or attendance patterns. Those gaps mean that a parent would need to contact the school directly to learn about the specific curriculum, class sizes, and enrichment opportunities that might matter most in choosing an elementary school. What the data does show is a K-6 building where every child is eligible for meal assistance, where state test scores are below the county peer average, and where the district is in the middle of reconfiguring its grade structure. That is the picture on paper; the day-to-day experience will depend on the teaching staff and support systems in place.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 36% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 42% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 28% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 47% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 36% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 415%

School 15% · District 39% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 35% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 38% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 34% · ▲ 6 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

This schoolST. JOSEPH, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.