The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in Math. The lowest is 21% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Barbara Jordan Elem.
Barbara Jordan Elementary is a regular public school in University City, Missouri, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. University City is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, a community that blends historic architecture along Delmar Boulevard with post-war residential neighborhoods farther north. The school sits in a part of town where the housing stock includes both older multifamily buildings and single-family homes, and the area is served by MetroLink light rail and bus routes. The local housing market, as of the most recent data, shows home values that sit close to the statewide benchmark and rents that are moderate relative to national averages, a pattern consistent with a stable, middle-market inner suburb.
The student body at Barbara Jordan is diverse, with a large majority of students identifying as Black, a smaller share as Hispanic, and small numbers of white, Asian, multiracial, and American Indian students. Every student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a reflection of the high level of economic need the school serves.
On the Missouri Assessment Program, the statewide standardized test, Barbara Jordan's results are below the midpoint among districts in St. Louis County, which includes 24 districts. For third grade math, roughly two in five students scored at the proficient level or above. By fourth and fifth grade, that figure drops to about one in four. In English language arts, proficiency rates hover in the upper twenties to low thirties across grades three through five. Fifth grade science results show about one in five students reaching proficiency. These numbers point to a school where the majority of students are not yet meeting state benchmarks in core subjects. A parent considering Barbara Jordan may want to ask the school about specific interventions and support structures in place, particularly given the concentration of poverty and the pattern of declining math proficiency from third to fourth grade.
Because Barbara Jordan is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, and special program offerings were not available in the sources used here. The district profile also did not yield recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary shifts or program overhauls, so this narrative cannot speak to any recent initiatives at the district level.
The school itself is one of four elementary schools in the School District of University City, a separate entity from surrounding districts. The district operates one middle school and one high school, so students from Barbara Jordan will eventually feed into Brittany Woods Middle School and then University City High School. The city has seventeen parks, a public library, and cultural institutions like the Center of Creative Arts. For families already living in University City or moving into the area, the school sits in a community with established civic amenities and public transit connections.
In short, Barbara Jordan Elementary is a high-poverty, diverse elementary school in an inner-ring suburb where housing is moderately priced and the community has a mix of walkable and car-oriented areas. Academic performance on state tests is well below the median for the county, which is a pattern families will want to explore further with the school and district to understand what support is available for students who are behind grade-level expectations.
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