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

Original Research by School Decision on Parkway Elem.

Parkway Elem. is a regular public school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in St. Joseph, Missouri, part of the St. Joseph School District. The school sits within a mid-sized Missouri River city with a diversified industrial economy focused on food processing, animal health pharmaceuticals, and heavy equipment manufacturing. St. Joseph’s population has been gradually declining, though it remains the third-largest manufacturing economy in the state. The district itself is undergoing a major grade reconfiguration starting in the 2026-27 school year, converting a high school into a middle school and a middle school into an elementary school, a change the public may want to follow. Housing in the area is relatively affordable compared with state and national benchmarks, and the city offers a historic downtown, numerous parks and trails, and a public bus system.

Parkway’s enrollment is moderate for a K-6 school. The student body is majority White, with a notable share of students who identify as two or more races, followed by Hispanic and smaller shares of other racial groups. Every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context. This economic concentration is a defining characteristic of the school. No data were available on the share of students receiving special education services or English learner supports, and information on chronic absenteeism and discipline was also absent.

State assessment results from the Missouri Assessment Program are available for math, English language arts, and science, though they cover only a single year. On the MAP, proficiency rates in math across grades three through six fell below the state average, and rates in English language arts were higher at some grade levels than others. For example, fifth-grade ELA proficiency stood at a level that was stronger than the school’s overall pattern, while fourth-grade ELA was noticeably lower. The sixth-grade ELA result was suppressed from public reporting. In science, fifth-grade proficiency was similar to the school’s math results. Across all tested subjects and grades, Parkway’s overall proficiency index placed it below the midpoint relative to districts in Buchanan County, a comparison set that includes three districts. This is a soft spot in the school’s academic profile. A parent looking at these results may want to follow up with the school about its instructional strategies and how it supports students who are not yet proficient.

Because Parkway serves only elementary and middle grades, no graduation rate is reported, and no advanced coursework data were provided. The school does not appear to be a magnet or charter institution. Its type is a regular public school, and there is no indication of specialized program offerings from the available data.

For a family considering this school, the main considerations are the high-poverty setting, which often correlates with additional needs and supports, and the academic performance that trails county peers. The reconfiguration happening in the district could also affect feeder patterns and school buildings in the years ahead. St. Joseph’s industrial employment base and affordable housing may appeal to families working in local manufacturing, healthcare, or the university sector, while those seeking higher test scores or a more economically mixed peer environment might want to explore other options in the area.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 36% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 42% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 28% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 47% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 36% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 39% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 35% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Science

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 34% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · even with 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.