The top reported proficiency rate is 14% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Peabody Elem.
Peabody Elementary is a regular public school in St. Louis, serving grades prekindergarten through five. It sits within the St. Louis City school district, the city’s sole district. The school’s enrollment is small for an elementary serving that grade band. All students are Black, and the entire student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a sign of concentrated poverty that often shapes the resources and challenges a school faces.
St. Louis is an independent city with a diverse economy anchored by major employers such as the Federal Reserve Bank, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, along with research universities like Washington University and Saint Louis University. The city is home to well-known civic and cultural institutions including the Gateway Arch, Forest Park, the Saint Louis Zoo, and the Missouri Botanical Garden. Housing values in the zip code serving this school are roughly on par with the state median, and rents have risen meaningfully in the past year, though both remain below national benchmarks in dollar terms. The city’s population has changed over decades, and its political boundaries have been fixed since its separation from the county.
Available test results from the most recent school year cover math and English language arts in grades three through five and science in grade five. Across subjects and grades where data can be reported, the share of students scoring at the proficient level is very low. In math, third and fourth graders posted proficiency rates in the single digits, while fifth-grade math results were suppressed for privacy reasons. In English language arts, fourth graders again had a single-digit proficiency rate; fifth graders reached a modest share. Science results for fifth grade were also suppressed. Only one year of testing data is present, so there is no multi-year trend to assess.
When placed among other districts in St. Louis city, Peabody’s overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quarter. That comparison is only among the fifteen districts in the county for which data was available, and it applies to the school level, not the district. The graduation rate does not apply because the school ends at fifth grade. Chronic absenteeism data was not reported.
No information on programs, course access, staffing, or discipline was provided. The district brief did not identify any recent changes that would affect parents, such as boundary shifts, school closures, or major program launches, so the district appears stable in that regard.
For a family considering Peabody, the picture is straightforward. The school is small and serves a community with high economic need. Academic performance, as measured by state assessments, is among the lowest in the city. With only a single year of scores, it is impossible to tell whether this reflects a one-time drop, a new testing administration, or a longer pattern. A parent may want to ask the school directly about the academic supports in place, the literacy and math interventions available, and how the school’s approach matches their child’s needs. The available data does not speak to the quality of instruction, the school climate, or the relationships staff build with families, all of which matter heavily at the elementary level. Those are questions best answered by visiting and talking with the principal and teachers.
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