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Pioneer Trail Elementary

Q: Is Pioneer Trail Elementary a good school?

Pioneer Trail Elementary ranks 366 th of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

366^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Missouri Elementary Schools

Better than 59% of Missouri elementary schools

Summary

Pioneer Trail Elementary is a public elementary school in Jefferson City, Missouri, serving 448 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 and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pioneer Trail Elementary has consistently ranked in the top 40% of Missouri elementary schools over the past 5 years, with a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's students have outperformed the district and state averages in mathematics and English Language Arts, with proficiency rates ranging from 27.7% to 62.9%. Additionally, the school's 5th-grade science proficiency rates have been consistently above the district and state averages, reaching as high as 54.2% in 2023-2024. However, the school has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 8.5% to 26.6%, which is significantly higher than the typical 10-15% seen in many schools.

Compared to nearby schools, Clarence Lawson Elementary stands out as the highest-performing, with consistently strong student proficiency rates in mathematics and ELA, as well as a higher statewide ranking. In contrast, Moreau Heights Elementary and East Elementary have lower proficiency rates and rankings compared to Pioneer Trail Elementary, indicating they may be struggling more to support student achievement.

396

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,427

Per pupil spending ?

50.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

301 Pioneer Trail
Jefferson City, MO 65109-1508

(573) 632-3400

District: Jefferson City

Students who attend Pioneer Trail Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Thomas Jefferson Middle
High:	Jefferson City High

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.2%

Two or more races:

10.4%

Hispanic:

8.8%

See top rated Missouri elementary schools

Compare Pioneer Trail Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 39th percentile in 2015 → 59th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Missouri median (59th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg44%

Missouri avg42%

366^th of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Top 41%▲ up 20 pts since 2015

From bottom 39% (2015) to top 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^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	59.4	366 of 900	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.7	422 of 906	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.6	378 of 898	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.1	361 of 908	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.4	298 of 901	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.0	676 of 1052	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.2	653 of 1045	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.7	623 of 1032	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	33.1	635 of 865	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	44.2	646 of 1058	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	47.2	620 of 1089	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	51.7	573 of 1108	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.7	682 of 1085	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	45.3	672 of 1088	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	46.6	327 of 638	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.6	348 of 625	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.5	234 of 611	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.9	200 of 532	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.7	112 of 574	80.5%	★★★★☆
2019	31.7	701 of 907	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.5	678 of 887	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	54.6	305 of 666	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.7	394 of 668	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.6	332 of 673	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.2	321 of 675	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.8	214 of 691	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.2	616 of 917	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.5	555 of 898	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

White (2025)54th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)49th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts52%+8 vs state

Science44%~ state avg

Mathematics38%-3 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Bad experience. Our kindergarten teacher was non-caring. The office staff and principal weren't any better. Fortunately, we were renting while going there - we've since purchased a house in a different JCPS school district and it's WONDERFUL!!! Teachers and principal at new school ROCK. They actually give kids a chance! They CARE. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, August 1, 2011

it is a wonderful school with caring teachers and staff. My daughters love it and have been learning in a scheduled manner Close Quote

Schools Near Pioneer Trail 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
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
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
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
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
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 Pioneer Trail Elementary

Is Pioneer Trail Elementary a good school?

Pioneer Trail Elementary ranks 366^th of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Pioneer Trail Elementary?

Students at Pioneer Trail Elementary are 71% White, 10% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 8% African American.

What district is Pioneer Trail Elementary in?

Jefferson City

What schools do graduates of Pioneer Trail Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pioneer Trail Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Thomas Jefferson Middle
High : Jefferson City High

How many students attend Pioneer Trail Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 396 students attended Pioneer Trail Elementary.

Rate Pioneer Trail Elementary!

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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.