The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 71%.
Original Research by School Decision on Augusta Elementary
Augusta Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in the small historic town of Augusta, Missouri, and is part of the School District of Washington. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and sits within the town’s compact core on Locust Street.
The student body is small, and its composition is overwhelmingly homogeneous. Nearly every student is white. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that places the school in a moderate range relative to economic diversity. The school does not report the share of students with individualized education plans or those classified as English learners; those data were missing. A parent interested in special education or English language support services would want to ask the school directly about how those programs are structured at this size.
State testing results are limited, which is common for a small school where low numbers can trigger data suppression rules meant to protect student privacy. For the most recent testing year, the only non-suppressed result came from fourth-grade English language arts, where a strong majority of students scored proficient or above. All other results in math, English language arts, and science across grades three through six were suppressed, so no overall academic performance picture can be drawn from state assessments. The school’s proficiency index, a composite of whatever rates could be reported, places it in the top quartile among districts in St. Charles County. That is a positive indicator, but the cautious interpretation is that the index is based on limited data.
Because Augusta Elementary stops at sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school’s students move on to middle and high school elsewhere in the School District of Washington, and the district itself did not appear to have experienced any major recent changes such as bond issues, boundary shifts, or curriculum overhauls. The research turned up no parent-relevant changes in the district, so none are described.
The town of Augusta itself shapes the school’s context in ways that may matter to families. It is a very small community with a historic riverfront commercial core, and its economy increasingly revolves around wine tourism. The Hoffmann Family of Companies has made large investments in vineyards, wineries, and properties since the start of the decade, accelerating a shift toward a hospitality and recreation orientation. The Katy Trail runs through town, and the area draws visitors for festivals and outdoor activities. Population growth is slow but steady, and housing values in the immediate area are well above state and national medians. The homeownership rate is high, reflecting a settled, largely owner-occupied community.
For a family considering Augusta Elementary, the school represents a small-town elementary experience in a place with strong tourism and a historic identity. The peer group is small and demographically uniform. The economic context is that of a town where housing costs are relatively high and where the local economy is not built around large employers but around wineries, hospitality, and small businesses. The school’s academic record is thin because of its size, not because of poor performance, but the lack of visible results means a parent cannot rely on state test data to gauge grade-level progress. The fourth-grade English language arts result is encouraging, but it stands alone. A parent who values a small, tight-knit school in a picturesque town with active recreational assets may find this a natural fit. A parent who wants a clear, multi-year academic track record or who needs robust data to compare across schools will have limited information to work with and should gather more from the school directly.
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