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Clarence Lawson Elementary

Q: Is Clarence Lawson Elementary a good school?

Clarence Lawson Elementary ranks 119 th of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

119^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Missouri Elementary Schools

Better than 87% of Missouri elementary schools

Summary

Clarence Lawson Elementary is a public elementary school in Jefferson City, Missouri, serving 442 students in grades K-5. This school consistently outperforms the district and state averages in both Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency, particularly in Mathematics where its 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade proficiency rates exceed the district and state by a significant margin.

Clarence Lawson Elementary has also demonstrated a strong commitment to equity and inclusion, with impressive performance among traditionally underserved subgroups such as low-income and African American students. In 2024-2025, the school ranked 18th out of 638 Missouri elementary schools for low-income students and 55th out of 250 for African American students. However, the school has faced some challenges with fluctuating chronic absenteeism rates, which could be an area of focus to further enhance its academic outcomes.

Compared to nearby schools like East Elementary, South Elementary, and Thorpe J. Gordon Elementary, Clarence Lawson Elementary has a higher per-student spending, which may contribute to its strong academic performance and ability to support diverse student populations. Overall, Clarence Lawson Elementary stands out as a high-performing school within the Jefferson City School District.

440

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,283

Per pupil spending ?

50.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1105 Fairgrounds Rd
Jefferson City, MO 65109-5443

(573) 659-3175

District: Jefferson City

Students who attend Clarence Lawson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Thomas Jefferson Middle
High:	Jefferson City High

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.3%

African American:

15.9%

Two or more races:

11.1%

See top rated Missouri elementary schools

Compare Clarence Lawson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 57th percentile in 2015 → 87th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Missouri average (60% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of Missouri elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 30 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg42%

Missouri avg42%

119^th of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Top 13%▲ up 29 pts since 2015

From top 43% (2015) to top 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	84.8	119 of 900	86.8%	★★★★☆
2024	73.0	220 of 906	75.7%	★★★★☆
2023	63.5	317 of 898	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.7	281 of 908	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.7	323 of 901	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.6	392 of 1052	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.5	315 of 1045	69.9%	★★★★☆
2017	53.8	483 of 1032	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	48.9	478 of 865	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	57.6	452 of 1058	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	58.0	441 of 1089	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	73.1	234 of 1108	78.9%	★★★★☆
2012	64.7	377 of 1085	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	69.5	277 of 1088	74.5%	★★★★☆
2010	69.7	283 of 1066	73.5%	★★★★☆
2009	68.2	280 of 1053	73.4%	★★★★☆
2008	45.4	657 of 1084	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	63.1	330 of 1080	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	68.5	253 of 1074	76.4%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	68.0	55 of 250	78.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	95.8	18 of 638	97.2%	★★★★★
2024	78.5	70 of 625	88.8%	★★★★☆
2023	72.6	99 of 611	83.8%	★★★★☆
2022	81.3	54 of 532	89.8%	★★★★★
2021	67.1	114 of 574	80.1%	★★★★☆
2019	55.4	355 of 907	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.5	378 of 887	57.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2024	41.5	63 of 101	37.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	78.5	134 of 666	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	63.3	225 of 668	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.4	297 of 673	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.1	232 of 675	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.8	330 of 691	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.3	253 of 917	72.4%	★★★★☆
2018	66.8	264 of 898	70.6%	★★★★☆

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)97th percentile+10 vs school

White (2025)80th percentile-7 vs school

African American (2019)78th percentile+15 vs school

Special Education (2024)38th percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts61%+18 vs state

Mathematics60%+18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Clarence Lawson 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
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
Pioneer Trail Elementary	Public	K-5	301 Pioneer Trail	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 632-3400	396	35	11.2	50.3%	282 (71.2%)	32 (8.1%)	35 (8.8%)	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	41 (10.4%)	59.4	366^th of 900 public elementary schools	59.3%		52.7	422^nd of 906 public elementary schools	53.4%	56	52.0	33.7	27.7	44.2	55.2	49.9	50.5	$13,427	$234	$13,193
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
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
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
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)
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Clarence Lawson Elementary

How many students attend Clarence Lawson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 440 students attended Clarence Lawson Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Clarence Lawson Elementary?

Students at Clarence Lawson Elementary are 57% White, 16% African American, 11% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 6% Asian.

Is Clarence Lawson Elementary a good school?

Clarence Lawson Elementary ranks 119^th of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Clarence Lawson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Clarence Lawson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Thomas Jefferson Middle
High : Jefferson City High

What district is Clarence Lawson Elementary in?

Jefferson City

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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.