The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Stoutland Elementary
Stoutland Elementary sits as the sole elementary school in the Stoutland R-II district, serving children from prekindergarten through sixth grade on a shared campus that also houses the high school. The town itself is a very small, primarily rural community in Camden County, with slow population growth and a public library as the most visible civic anchor. There is no separate downtown; school and library are the core of local public life.
The student body of roughly that size for a PK-6 school is overwhelmingly white, with a small share of Hispanic students and a trace of other backgrounds. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a higher-poverty context than many of its peers. The school is a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet.
State test results from the MAP assessments provide a mixed but somewhat encouraging picture, though the data is incomplete. In math, third graders showed proficiency at a level above half, while fourth and fifth graders scored lower, with about a third or less meeting the bar. Sixth-grade math results were suppressed due to small group sizes, so a parent may want to ask the school directly how those students are performing. In English language arts, only third grade had a reported proficiency rate, again above half; fourth, fifth, and sixth grade ELA rates were suppressed. Fifth-grade science results were reported and fell below a third proficient.
Overall, when the school’s performance across all tested grades and subjects is combined into a single index, Stoutland Elementary lands in the top quartile relative to the handful of other districts in Camden County. That is a clear strength, but it comes with a caveat: the county contains only four districts, so the comparison set is small. Many individual grade-level results are suppressed, meaning the index relies on the grades where data is reportable. A parent moving into the area should keep in mind that the school’s academic standing is strong for the county, yet the available data does not give a full picture of every classroom.
The school environment reflects its rural setting. The campus is located on a state highway, and the town’s population density is very low, so walking to school is unlikely for most families. The district has no recent major changes publicly reported that would alter a family’s decision. Housing values in the zip code are below the national median and have seen a slight recent decline, which may appeal to buyers seeking more affordable options in the broader Lake of the Ozarks region.
For a family considering this school, the main takeaway is that Stoutland Elementary serves a small, close-knit community with a high rate of economic need. Its test performance, where visible, shows a solid foundation in third grade with some drop-off in later elementary years, and the school ranks favorably among its few county peers. The suppressed data points mean that a parent may want to visit and speak with teachers about how students in the upper grades are progressing, especially in reading and math beyond third grade. The rural character and slow growth make this a stable, quiet environment, but one with limited local amenities and employment outside the district itself.
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