The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Math. The lowest is 38% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Troy South Middle School
Troy South Middle School serves grades six through eight in the Lincoln County R-III district, located in Moscow Mills, a small, fast-growing residential community on the exurban fringe of the St. Louis metro area. The school is one of the district's two middle schools, and its enrollment is large for a middle school, drawing from a community that has expanded dramatically over the past several decades. Moscow Mills has transformed from a tiny village into a suburban bedroom community with a tight housing supply and active planning for continued growth. The town itself has no downtown core and limited commercial infrastructure; students in Moscow Mills are bused to school facilities, and the civic life centers on city hall and parks rather than a traditional Main Street.
The student body at Troy South Middle School is predominantly white, with a roughly even split of enrollment across the three middle grades. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a modest share that points to a largely middle-income community. The school's data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the extent and structure of those support services.
On the Missouri Assessment Program, the school's results show a clear pattern. In math, sixth and seventh graders posted proficiency rates that were moderate, but eighth graders had notably lower results. The same grade-level decline repeated in English language arts: the sixth and seventh grade rates were moderate, while the eighth grade proficiency rate dropped off to a lower level. In science, which is only tested in eighth grade, the proficiency rate was moderate. The overall proficiency picture across subjects and grades places the school near the top among the four districts in Lincoln County. Still, the drop-off in both math and English language arts between seventh and eighth grade is a soft spot a family may want to explore further with the school, to understand whether it reflects curriculum changes, cohort differences, or something else.
Beyond the state assessment data, there is little published information about what goes on inside the school day. The data does not include any details on course offerings, such as whether the school offers advanced math tracks in eighth grade or any elective pathways in the arts, technology, or career exploration. Information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, and staffing ratios like class sizes and teacher experience was also unavailable. These are significant gaps for a parent trying to get a complete picture of the school climate and academic opportunity.
The district made a notable recent structural change: Troy Buchanan High School now serves grades ten through twelve, and ninth graders attend a separate Troy Ninth Grade Center. This means that when students leave Troy South Middle School after eighth grade, they will move to a consolidated ninth-grade building before entering the main high school campus. This tiered transition to high school is something to be aware of as a distinctive feature of the district's configuration.
The housing market in the area is strong. Home values in the zip code are well above the state benchmark, and the area has seen modest year-over-year appreciation. Rents, however, are low relative to the cost of a mortgage, making renting significantly cheaper than buying at current interest rates. For a family moving to Moscow Mills, the housing market reflects the area's growth pressure and its draw as a commuter community.
In short, Troy South Middle School sits in a fast-growing exurban setting with a largely white, middle-income student body. Its state test results show a solid overall performance compared to other districts in Lincoln County, but the sharp decline in both math and reading proficiency between seventh and eighth grade warrants attention. The lack of available data on programs, staffing, and discipline means a family will need to reach out to the school directly to learn what kinds of academic pathways, enrichment, and student supports are actually in place.
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