The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in Science. The lowest is 19% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Dewey Sch.-internat'l. Studies
Dewey Sch.-Internat'l. Studies is a regular public elementary school in St. Louis, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is not a charter or magnet school, and it operates within the St. Louis City school district. The school is relatively small for an elementary school, enrolling a few hundred students.
The student body is predominantly Black or African American, with a notable Hispanic population and small shares of White and Asian students. Every student enrolled qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a high level of economic need across the school community. This is a school where nearly all families face financial constraints, and the resources that come with them may shape the learning environment.
Academically, the school participates in Missouri’s state assessment program, the MAP, for grades three through five. In the most recent testing year, proficiency rates in math and English language arts were on the lower side across these grades, though there is some variation. For instance, math proficiency in fifth grade was meaningfully higher than in third or fourth grade, suggesting that students may build skills as they progress. In English language arts, proficiency rates were similar across grades three through five, all below a quarter of students. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed roughly one-third of students meeting proficiency standards. When looking across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it above the midpoint among districts in St. Louis city. That means some other city schools have lower proficiency, while some have higher ones. Only a single year of data was available, so it is not possible to tell whether performance is improving or declining over time.
Because the school only serves grades through fifth, there is no graduation rate or high school outcomes to report. Families considering this elementary school would need to look ahead to understand what middle and high school options exist within the district and how Dewey students typically fare after they leave.
Information on several other dimensions of school life was not available in the data reviewed. There were no reported figures on chronic absenteeism, discipline incidents, staffing ratios, or course access. A parent may want to ask the school directly about these topics, as they matter for understanding day-to-day experience.
The school is located in the city of St. Louis, an independent city with a diverse economy that includes strong service, manufacturing, trade, transportation, and aviation sectors. Major employers include the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the Washington University Medical Center with Barnes-Jewish Hospital, as well as several research universities. The city offers a range of civic and cultural anchors: the Gateway Arch, Forest Park, the Saint Louis Zoo, the City Museum, and botanical gardens and museums. St. Louis separated from St. Louis County long ago, creating a distinct political boundary that has shaped its development and population trends. Housing values in the school’s zip code are somewhat above the statewide average but below the national median, and rents have been climbing.
No recent district-level changes that would directly affect parents or students were identified in a search of publicly available information. The school itself carries “International Studies” in its name, but no specific program details or course offerings were found in the data to explain what this theme means in practice. A family drawn to a global or multicultural focus may wish to inquire about the curriculum and any language or cultural programming. For families seeking an elementary school in a high-poverty urban setting, Dewey represents a modest academic profile compared to other city schools, and the economic circumstances of its student population are an important part of understanding the context.
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