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South Elementary

Q: Is South Elementary a good school?

South Elementary ranks 426 th of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

426^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Missouri Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of Missouri elementary schools

Summary

South Elementary is a public elementary school in Jefferson City, Missouri, serving 321 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Jefferson City School District, which is ranked 146 out of 367 districts in the state.

South Elementary faces significant challenges, with consistently lower student performance in mathematics and English language arts (ELA) compared to the district and state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 39% of 3rd graders at South Elementary were proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 43.8% in the Jefferson City district and 41.4% statewide. The school also has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 22.1% to 26.6% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, South Elementary has a very high percentage of students (over 99%) who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high-poverty student population.

However, South Elementary has shown strengths in supporting specific student subgroups, ranking among the top 11-49 Missouri elementary schools for African American students and the top 80-142 for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in recent years. Nearby schools, such as Clarence Lawson Elementary, Belair Elementary, and West Elementary, generally outperform South Elementary in both mathematics and ELA proficiency, with lower chronic absenteeism rates and a lower percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

302

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,450

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

707 Linden Dr
Jefferson City, MO 65109-2742

(573) 659-3185

District: Jefferson City

Students who attend South Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Thomas Jefferson Middle
High:	Jefferson City High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

38.1%

White:

33.8%

Two or more races:

14.9%

See top rated Missouri elementary schools

Compare South Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 17th percentile in 2015 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 36 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Missouri median (53rd percentile)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg44%

Missouri avg42%

426^th of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 36 pts since 2015

From bottom 17% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Jefferson City

146^th of 367Jefferson City among Missouri districts

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

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	53.4	426 of 900	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.6	512 of 906	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.6	613 of 898	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.6	595 of 908	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.0	629 of 901	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.5	684 of 1052	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.5	663 of 1045	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.0	739 of 1032	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.9	759 of 865	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.2	881 of 1058	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	51.5	547 of 1089	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	55.8	500 of 1108	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	52.1	575 of 1085	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	46.4	659 of 1088	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	38.5	753 of 1066	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	44.2	665 of 1053	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.4	638 of 1084	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	35.4	810 of 1080	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	42.2	682 of 1074	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2024	74.3	24 of 191	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	60.8	49 of 185	73.5%	★★★★☆
2022	73.6	11 of 184	94.0%	★★★★★
2021	83.1	4 of 163	97.5%	★★★★★
2019	14.3	235 of 250	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	43.7	132 of 243	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	79.9	80 of 638	87.5%	★★★★☆
2024	77.5	76 of 625	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	65.6	142 of 611	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	68.3	97 of 532	81.8%	★★★★☆
2021	65.9	118 of 574	79.4%	★★★★☆
2019	61.3	279 of 907	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.2	322 of 887	63.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	45.4	486 of 917	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.7	373 of 898	58.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)87th percentile+35 vs school

African American (2024)87th percentile+44 vs school

White (2019)47th percentile+12 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts44%~ state avg

Mathematics41%~ state avg

4.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, April 13, 2019

Elementary school with best interests of their students. Close Quote

Schools Near South 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 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
South Elementary	Public	K-5	707 Linden Dr	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3185	302	27	11.2	100.0%	102 (33.8%)	115 (38.1%)	15 (5.0%)	21 (7.0%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	45 (14.9%)	53.4	426^th of 900 public elementary schools	52.7%		44.6	512^th of 906 public elementary schools	43.5%	86	39.0	58.1	25.7		34.7		53.4	$13,450	$390	$13,060
Thorpe J. Gordon Elementary	Public	K-5	1101 Jackson	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3170	294	28	10.4	100.0%	110 (37.4%)	108 (36.7%)	30 (10.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (15.0%)	58.6	372^nd of 900 public elementary schools	58.7%		43.4	525^th of 906 public elementary schools	42.1%	153	56.8	35.6	46.9	45.0	47.6	39.2		$13,957	$504	$13,453
Mocap Elem.School	Public, Virtual	K-5	205 Jefferson Street	Jefferson City	65102	Cole County	Mo Virtual Instruction Program	No	No	Yes	No	(573) 751-2453	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Cedar Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	1510 Vieth	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3160	313	28	11.1	49.5%	203 (64.9%)	44 (14.1%)	19 (6.1%)	5 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (13.1%)	51.2	446^th of 900 public elementary schools	50.4%		41.7	544^th of 906 public elementary schools	40.0%	98	38.5	46.1	34.7	43.4	33.2	44.1	47.8	$15,309	$415	$14,894
Moreau Heights Elementary	Public	K-5	1410 Hough Park	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3180	324	33	9.9	64.5%	173 (53.4%)	85 (26.2%)	19 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (14.2%)	41.9	543^rd of 900 public elementary schools	39.7%		41.5	548^th of 906 public elementary schools	39.5%	5	29.0	27.8	39.2	49.0	24.0	29.8	49.1	$15,023	$1,293	$13,730
East Elementary	Public	K-5	1229 E McCarty	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3165	286	30	9.5	100.0%	115 (40.2%)	96 (33.6%)	24 (8.4%)	5 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (15.7%)	15.2	772^nd of 900 public elementary schools	14.2%		28.5	669^th of 906 public elementary schools	26.2%	103	11.6	13.1	31.0	26.3	19.3	11.0		$14,394	$642	$13,752
West Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Dix Rd	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3195	317	27	11.8	54.3%	195 (61.5%)	54 (17.0%)	24 (7.6%)	11 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (10.4%)	64.1	320^th of 900 public elementary schools	64.4%		61.1	339^th of 906 public elementary schools	62.6%	19	32.0	48.0	49.9	57.1	40.8		53.4	$13,777	$310	$13,467
Belair Elementary	Public	K-5	701 Belair	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3155	363	31	11.8	51.2%	225 (62.0%)	45 (12.4%)	59 (16.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (9.4%)	69.2	262^nd of 900 public elementary schools	70.9%		60.8	343^rd of 906 public elementary schools	62.1%	81	61.6	47.1	52.5	43.8	51.6	40.4	59.5	$12,888	$505	$12,383
Clarence Lawson Elementary	Public	K-5	1105 Fairgrounds Rd	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3175	440	36	12.2	50.5%	252 (57.3%)	70 (15.9%)	40 (9.1%)	28 (6.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (11.1%)	84.8	119^th of 900 public elementary schools	86.8%		73	220^th of 906 public elementary schools	75.7%	101	63.3	60.7	53.7		60.3	62.0		$14,283	$420	$13,863
Blair Oaks Intermediate	Public	3-5	6124 Falcon Lane	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Blair Oaks R-II	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(573) 635-6864	228	18	12.3	12.3%	219 (96.1%)	4 (1.8%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	85.1	117^th of 900 public elementary schools	87.0%		91.8	46^th of 906 public elementary schools	94.9%	71	46.8	73.9	67.0	63.1	55.6	67.4		$11,540	$90	$11,450

Frequently Asked Questions about South Elementary

How many students attend South Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 302 students attended South Elementary.

What district is South Elementary in?

Jefferson City

What schools do graduates of South Elementary attend?

Students who attend South Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Thomas Jefferson Middle
High : Jefferson City High

Is South Elementary a good school?

South Elementary ranks 426^th of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of South Elementary?

Students at South Elementary are 38% African American, 34% White, 15% Two or more races, 7% Asian, 5% Hispanic.

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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.