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Dent-Phelps Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-8

Summary

Dent-Phelps Elementary is a public school serving grades PK-8 in Salem, Missouri, with 273 students enrolled. The school is part of the Dent-Phelps R-III school district, which is ranked 209 out of 386 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Dent-Phelps Elementary has relatively low student-teacher ratios and high per-student spending, its academic performance lags behind many nearby schools. The school has struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 10.5% to 16.4% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, Dent-Phelps' test scores in math, English language arts, and science are below the state averages and the scores of schools like Green Forest Elementary and the Rolla 31 district. The school also serves a high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 44.44% to 46.15% in recent years.

These challenges suggest that Dent-Phelps Elementary may need to implement more effective instructional strategies and interventions to improve student outcomes. The school and district should carefully analyze the data, identify the root causes of the performance issues, and develop targeted plans to address the high chronic absenteeism and low academic achievement. With the right strategies and support, Dent-Phelps can work to provide a better educational experience for its students.

256

Students ?

10.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,839

Per pupil spending ?

50%

Free/discounted lunch ?

27870 Hwy C
Salem, MO 65560-9534

(573) 729-4680

District: Dent-Phelps R-III

Racial breakdown:

White:

95.7%

Asian:

2.0%

Hispanic:

1.6%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 37th percentile in 2013 → 42nd in 2024

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2013

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg45%

Missouri avg43%

Not ranked this year

Dent-Phelps Elementary did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2024	42.9	530 of 906	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.1	698 of 898	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	801 of 908	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.9	738 of 901	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.3	916 of 1052	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	922 of 1045	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	26.7	824 of 1032	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.2	817 of 1058	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	35.3	787 of 1089	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	43.9	694 of 1108	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	52.7	563 of 1085	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	55.4	510 of 1088	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	46.9	619 of 1066	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	60.8	382 of 1053	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	61.8	353 of 1084	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	53.4	508 of 1080	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	55.2	465 of 1074	56.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2023	27.9	486 of 611	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.5	396 of 532	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.1	706 of 907	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.0	681 of 887	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2024	30.0	489 of 668	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.0	610 of 673	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.1	642 of 691	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.9	903 of 917	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.0	880 of 898	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	42.0	344 of 587	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.5	258 of 552	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	33.7	415 of 568	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	41.7	282 of 435	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	58.3	219 of 585	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	62.8	223 of 633	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	76.0	81 of 649	87.5%	★★★★☆
2012	63.2	213 of 623	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.1	201 of 625	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	48.5	367 of 614	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	71.9	117 of 601	80.5%	★★★★☆
2008	50.0	337 of 624	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	65.7	154 of 624	75.3%	★★★★☆
2006	68.0	125 of 619	79.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	59.8	147 of 482	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.1	39 of 422	90.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	35.2	347 of 527	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.5	259 of 479	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

White (2024)27th percentile-15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)20th percentile~ school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2019)70th percentile+28 vs school

White (2019)34th percentile-7 vs school

★

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Schools Near Dent-Phelps Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAP Mathematics (2025)						MAP Science (2025)	MAP English Language Arts (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAP Science 5th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dent-Phelps Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	27870 Hwy C	Salem	65560	Dent County	Dent-Phelps R-III	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 729-4680	256	23	10.9	50.0%	245 (95.7%)	2 (0.8%)	4 (1.6%)	5 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	30.8			56.2							$11,839	$1,118	$10,721
Wm. H. Lynch Elementary	Public	PK, KG-1	101 N Main St	Salem	65560	Dent County	Salem R-80	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 729-6642	257	17	14.7	100.0%	227 (88.3%)	2 (0.8%)	12 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	12 (4.7%)								(n/a)											$14,144	$997	$13,147
North Wood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	3734 N. Hwy 19	Salem	65560	Dent County	North Wood R-IV	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 729-4607	155	15	10.3	63.9%	140 (90.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.9%)	16.6	761^st of 900 public elementary schools	15.4%		26.2	685^th of 906 public elementary schools	24.4%	76		30.0	8.8		84.1		21.8				$12,740	$764	$11,976
Salem Upper Elementary	Public	2-5	1601 S Doss Rd	Salem	65560	Dent County	Salem R-80	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 729-6642	335	26	13.0	100.0%	291 (86.9%)	2 (0.6%)	17 (5.1%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.3%)	30.5	655^th of 900 public elementary schools	27.2%		48.6	466^th of 906 public elementary schools	48.6%	189	32.0	34.4	27.3				30.9	25.9	28.6	33.2	$9,371	$429	$8,942
Oak Hill Elementary	Public	K-8	6200 S Hwy 19	Salem	65560	Dent County	Oak Hill R-I	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 729-5618	149	13	11.9	64.4%	146 (98.0%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	21.8	722^nd of 900 public elementary schools	19.8%					(n/a)	24.0	26.7		31.3				28.0	20.1		$10,222	$1,356	$8,866
Green Forest Elementary	Public	K-8	6111 Hwy F	Salem	65560	Dent County	Green Forest R-II	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 729-3902	152	15	10.4	61.2%	149 (98.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	96.2	21^st of 900 public elementary schools	97.7%		99.2	3^rd of 906 public elementary schools	99.7%	18		76.3	70.5			28.6	70.5	85.6	76.4		$12,280	$319	$11,961
Phelps County Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	17790 State Route M	Edgar Springs	65462	Phelps County	Phelps County R-III	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 435-6293	160	15	10.8	47.5%	148 (92.5%)	2 (1.3%)	4 (2.5%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.5%)								(n/a)											$12,836	$1,683	$11,153
Col. John B. Wyman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	402 Lanning Ln	Rolla	65401	Phelps County	Rolla 31	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 458-0190	441	35	12.7	47.8%	350 (79.4%)	12 (2.7%)	30 (6.8%)	20 (4.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.9%)								(n/a)	56.0							45.8			$13,683	$1,132	$12,551
Mark Twain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	1100 Mark Twain Dr	Rolla	65401	Phelps County	Rolla 31	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 458-0170	440	36	12.3	50.7%	360 (81.8%)	9 (2.0%)	21 (4.8%)	10 (2.3%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (8.2%)								(n/a)	44.7							42.9			$12,632	$1,036	$11,597
Harry S. Truman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	1001 E 18th St	Rolla	65401	Phelps County	Rolla 31	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 458-0180	448	36	12.5	57.6%	336 (75.0%)	34 (7.6%)	30 (6.7%)	11 (2.5%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (7.6%)								(n/a)	55.5							51.0			$12,548	$679	$11,869

Frequently Asked Questions about Dent-Phelps Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Dent-Phelps Elementary?

Students at Dent-Phelps Elementary are 96% White, 2% Asian, 2% Hispanic.

How many students attend Dent-Phelps Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 256 students attended Dent-Phelps Elementary.

What district is Dent-Phelps Elementary in?

Dent-Phelps R-III

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.