The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in English language arts. The lowest is 39% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hickory Hills Elem.
Hickory Hills Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade within the Springfield R-XII school district, located on the eastern edge of Springfield in Greene County. With enrollment at a size typical for an elementary building serving these six grade levels, the school sits in a part of the city where the community and economic context matters for families considering it. Springfield itself is a mid-sized regional hub, functioning as the principal city of its metropolitan area and a center for healthcare, retail, distribution, logistics, and manufacturing. Major employers include the two largest hospital systems, CoxHealth and Mercy, as well as corporate headquarters for Bass Pro Shops and O’Reilly Auto Parts. Housing values in the ZIP code covering the school are below the state benchmark, and rents are similarly positioned, which may factor into family decisions about affordability in this part of Greene County.
The student body at Hickory Hills is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who are Hispanic, Asian, two or more races, Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Just over a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that gives a sense of the economic diversity present. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available for this school, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports and populations.
On the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP), which tests students in grades three through five in English language arts and math, and fifth grade in science, Hickory Hills shows a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades three, four, and five land at or just above the midpoint of a typical range, with all three grades performing similarly. In math, the results are weaker, with proficiency rates declining across the grades, from third to fourth to fifth. The fifth grade science proficiency rate falls below the English language arts marks for that same grade. When compared to other school districts in Greene County, Hickory Hills sits below the midpoint in overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and no chronic absenteeism data was available to provide a fuller picture of attendance patterns.
The district is undergoing several notable changes that touch elementary families indirectly. Springfield R-XII voters approved a bond issue in 2023 that funds facility improvements such as HVAC replacement, roofing, safety upgrades, and classroom renovations across the district, all without raising the tax levy. Separately, the district launched a middle school redesign starting in the 2023-2024 school year, which restructured bell schedules and expanded elective offerings. While that initiative directly affects middle schools, it signals a broader shift in how the district approaches programming for older students that current elementary families will encounter when their children move up.
No information was available on specific programs, course access, staffing ratios, or disciplinary patterns at Hickory Hills. A parent considering this school may want to visit or contact the school to learn about specials, enrichment opportunities, class sizes, and how the building supports students who need extra help in math, given the dip in performance at the upper elementary grades. The school’s setting on the eastern edge of Springfield places it within a district that has invested in its physical infrastructure and is rethinking its middle school model, both factors worth weighing alongside the academic results at the elementary level.
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