The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in Math. The lowest is 46% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Pershing Elem.
Pershing Elementary is a regular public school in the St. Joseph School District, serving kindergarten through sixth grade. The school sits on Blackwell Road in the city of St. Joseph, a mid-sized Missouri River city with a diversified industrial economy centered on food processing, animal health pharmaceuticals, and heavy equipment manufacturing. St. Joseph is home to Missouri Western State University and is the county seat of Buchanan County. The city has seen a modest population decline in recent years, but its industrial base remains substantial, with major employers including healthcare, food processing, the school district itself, the Air National Guard, and animal pharmaceutical firms. The city’s historic downtown offers cultural anchors like the Pony Express Museum and the Missouri Theatre, and its 48 parks and 18 trails provide recreational amenities. The St. Joseph School District is currently undergoing a grade reconfiguration, converting Lafayette High School into a middle school and Robidoux Middle School into an elementary school, following a bond issue and operating levy passed several years ago.
Pershing Elementary enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students, a smaller share of students who identify as two or more races, and a small share of Black students. Asian and American Indian or Alaska Native representation is very minimal. Every student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The school’s enrollment is spread across kindergarten through sixth grade, with the largest class in kindergarten and the smallest in first grade. Because the school serves only elementary and middle grades, no graduation rate is applicable.
On state assessments, Pershing Elementary’s academic results show a varied picture across grade levels and subjects. In mathematics, proficiency rates rise and fall across the grades, with a noticeably softer performance in third and fifth grades compared to stronger showings in fourth and sixth grades. In English language arts, the pattern is somewhat similar: third grade results are lower than those in the upper grades, while fourth, fifth, and sixth grades all show a greater share of students meeting proficiency. Science results for fifth grade were suppressed in the data, so a parent may want to inquire directly with the school about that subject’s performance. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, sits above the midpoint among the districts in Buchanan County.
The school environment data on discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance were not available. Similarly, information on special populations such as students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported in the data. A parent looking for a fuller picture of student support services and school climate may want to follow up with the school directly.
Housing in the area around the school is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, with home values having risen at a pace above the national average in recent years. Rents are somewhat lower than mortgage costs in the current interest rate environment, which is a consideration for families deciding between renting and buying.
This is a school where nearly all students come from low-income households, and the academic profile varies noticeably by grade. The third and fifth grade results are areas where a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what supports are in place. The upper elementary grades, particularly fourth and sixth, show stronger math results, and English language arts performance generally improves from third to the later grades. For a family considering this school, the key context is that it serves a high-poverty population within a mid-sized industrial city that is undergoing some district-level reorganization, and the school’s test results are not uniform across grades or subjects.
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