The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Science. The lowest is 49% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Fatima Elem.
Fatima Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Westphalia, a very small rural town in Osage County with a strong German Catholic heritage that shapes the community’s identity. The school sits within the Osage County R-III district, and the town’s compact layout means the elementary is integrated into the same Main Street area as City Hall and the local parish. For a family considering this school, the academic picture is one of relative strength within the county, with some variation by grade and subject that a parent may want to dig into further.
State assessment results show a general pattern of solid performance in math and science, with English language arts more uneven. In math, proficiency rates across the tested grades run above the midpoint typical for the state, with the highest share of students meeting or exceeding standards in fourth grade. Science scores from the fifth-grade test are particularly strong, with a large majority of students reaching proficiency. Those are clear strengths. The English language arts results, however, show a wider range. Fourth graders perform well on that test, but by sixth grade the proficiency rate drops to a level that is notably lower than in math at the same grade. This is a soft spot, and a parent considering the school might want to ask how the middle-grade literacy curriculum is structured and what supports are in place for students who are struggling with reading and writing as they approach the transition to higher grades.
The school serves a student body that is overwhelmingly White, with a very small share of Hispanic students and an even smaller presence of other racial groups. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which is a relatively low rate for a rural Missouri elementary and points to a generally lower level of economic need in the community compared to many other schools in the region. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was missing from the available records, so a parent seeking information on special education supports or English language development would need to ask the school directly for those numbers.
Compared to other districts within Osage County, Fatima Elementary’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile. The county has only a few districts, so this means the school is performing ahead of its immediate neighbors. There was no graduation rate data because the school does not serve high school grades, and chronic absenteeism figures were also unavailable. The district itself had no notable recent changes that were publicly reported, so the district context appears stable.
The town of Westphalia is a quiet, car-oriented place with a modest population that has grown slowly in recent years. Median household income is high for rural Missouri, which aligns with the lower free-lunch rate at the school. The local economy has few identified major employers beyond the school district and the Catholic parish, so many residents likely commute to nearby Jefferson City. Civic life is centered on a limestone City Hall, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, a public park, and nearby river access and state park. No public library was found in the town itself.
For families who value a very small-town setting with strong performance in math and science, a cohesive and stable community, and a school that generally outpaces its county peers, Fatima Elementary fits well. The drop in sixth-grade English scores is the one area that warrants a closer look, especially for a parent concerned about literacy readiness before middle school.
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