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Southwest Elementary

Q: Is Southwest Elementary a good school?

Southwest Elementary ranks 458 th of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

458^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Missouri Elementary Schools

Better than 49% of Missouri elementary schools

Summary

Southwest Elementary is a public elementary school located in Lawson, Missouri, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 393 students. The school is part of the Lawson R-XIV school district, which is ranked 88 out of 367 districts in Missouri and is rated 4 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

Southwest Elementary has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking, ranging from 201 out of 901 Missouri elementary schools in 2020-2021 (rated 4 stars) to 458 out of 900 in the current 2024-2025 school year (rated 2 stars). The school's performance has varied across different student groups, with white students ranking between 339 out of 668 (2-star rating) and 480 out of 666 (1-star rating), and low socioeconomic status students ranking between 196 out of 887 (4-star rating) and 603 out of 907 (2-star rating). Additionally, Southwest Elementary has experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 8.4% to 14.8% in recent years.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Kearney Elementary, Lens, Hawthorne Elementary, and Southview Elementary, Southwest Elementary generally underperforms in terms of statewide rankings, test scores, and other key metrics. For instance, Southview Elementary ranked 91 out of 900 Missouri elementary schools in 2024-2025, with significantly higher proficiency rates in mathematics and English language arts compared to Southwest Elementary.

439

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,238

Per pupil spending ?

27.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

307 W Moss St
Lawson, MO 64062-0157

(816) 580-7272

District: Lawson R-XIV

Students who attend Southwest Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Lawson Middle
High:	Lawson High

Racial breakdown:

White:

100.0%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 80th percentile in 2015 → 49th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 31 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg41%

Missouri avg43%

458^th of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Bottom 49%▼ down 31 pts since 2015

From top 20% (2015) to bottom 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

88^th of 367Lawson R-XIV 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	50.5	458 of 900	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	62.2	325 of 906	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.1	418 of 898	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.2	253 of 908	72.1%	★★★★☆
2021	74.2	201 of 901	77.7%	★★★★☆
2019	46.7	565 of 1052	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	66.2	333 of 1045	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	75.3	222 of 1032	78.5%	★★★★☆
2016	76.6	185 of 865	78.6%	★★★★☆
2015	76.4	214 of 1058	79.8%	★★★★☆
2014	65.7	331 of 1089	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	68.2	305 of 1108	72.5%	★★★★☆
2012	76.9	176 of 1085	83.8%	★★★★☆
2011	76.4	192 of 1088	82.4%	★★★★☆
2010	59.2	413 of 1066	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	48.9	583 of 1053	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	56.9	443 of 1084	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	44.2	660 of 1080	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	41.8	689 of 1074	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	39.5	603 of 907	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	69.1	196 of 887	77.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	33.3	480 of 666	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.1	339 of 668	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.4	439 of 673	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.6	294 of 675	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.8	223 of 691	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.0	661 of 917	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	49.0	453 of 898	49.6%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2019)34th percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)28th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts42%~ state avg

Mathematics41%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Southwest 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
Southwest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	307 W Moss St	Lawson	64062	Ray County	Lawson R-XIV	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 580-7272	439	33	13.4	27.3%	439 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50.5	458^th of 900 public elementary schools	49.1%		62.2	325^th of 906 public elementary schools	64.1%	133	37.5	44.2			44.0	39.9		$10,238	$640	$9,599
Cornerstone Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1901 Wornall Road	Excelsior Springs	64024	Clay County	Excelsior Springs 40	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 630-9260	466	34	13.8	40.8%	388 (83.3%)	13 (2.8%)	38 (8.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.2%)	41.7	547^th of 900 public elementary schools	39.2%		48.3	471^st of 906 public elementary schools	48.0%	76	40.0	39.6	32.7	27.0	38.7	41.1	32.8	$12,783	$213	$12,570
Lewis Elementary	Public	K-5	501 Leavenworth Street	Excelsior Springs	64024	Clay County	Excelsior Springs 40	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 630-9290	354	28	12.7	62.1%	288 (81.4%)	8 (2.3%)	35 (9.9%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.6%)	42.9	537^th of 900 public elementary schools	40.3%		47.6	475^th of 906 public elementary schools	47.6%	62	43.4	50.8	21.5	28.6	35.4	42.0	33.9	$13,835	$759	$13,076
Elkhorn Elementary	Public	K-5	34684 Hwy 10	Excelsior Springs	64024	Ray County	Excelsior Springs 40	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 630-9270	239	20	11.8	51.0%	199 (83.3%)	1 (0.4%)	18 (7.5%)	6 (2.5%)	4 (1.7%)	2 (0.8%)	9 (3.8%)	58.4	374^th of 900 public elementary schools	58.4%		47	481^st of 906 public elementary schools	46.9%	107	57.8		41.4	35.8	36.8		48.9	$15,928	$522	$15,406
Southview Elementary	Public	K-5	7 S Campus Dr	Kearney	64060	Clay County	Kearney R-I	No	No	No	No	(816) 628-4652	455	32	14.1	16.7%	406 (89.2%)	2 (0.4%)	30 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.7%)	88.1	91^st of 900 public elementary schools	89.9%		82.5	132^nd of 906 public elementary schools	85.4%	41	47.9	66.6	65.7	84.1	59.9	74.6		$12,861	$242	$12,619
Kearney Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	902 S Jefferson	Kearney	64060	Clay County	Kearney R-I	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 628-4113	223	19	11.4	32.3%	199 (89.2%)	4 (1.8%)	10 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.0%)	63.9	322^nd of 900 public elementary schools	64.2%		51	444^th of 906 public elementary schools	51.0%	122	48.4	48.7	57.0	37.0	45.4			$15,833	$452	$15,381
Lens	Public	4-5	2215 South Campus Drive	Kearney	64060	Clay County	Kearney R-I	No	No	No	No	(816) 628-4798	60	4	13.4	20.0%	52 (86.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.0%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (6.7%)								(n/a)								$16,121	$57	$16,064
Hawthorne Elementary	Public	K-5	1815 S Jefferson	Kearney	64060	Clay County	Kearney R-I	No	No	No	No	(816) 628-4114	264	20	12.9	8.3%	232 (87.9%)	4 (1.5%)	15 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.9%)	68.9	268^th of 900 public elementary schools	70.2%		73.1	218^th of 906 public elementary schools	75.9%	50	51.1	38.0		54.1	58.1	52.2		$14,687	$225	$14,462
Lathrop Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	700 Center St	Lathrop	64465	Clinton County	Lathrop R-II	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 710-6114	403	36	11.2	43.2%	368 (91.3%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (3.0%)	59.8	361^st of 900 public elementary schools	59.9%		40.2	557^th of 906 public elementary schools	38.5%	196	47.3	39.6	40.0	43.3	48.6	47.5	46.6	$13,332	$788	$12,544
Dogwood Elementary	Public	K-5	1400 Cedar Wood Pkwy	Kearney	64060	Clay County	Kearney R-I	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 903-1400	463	32	14.3	17.7%	414 (89.4%)	2 (0.4%)	31 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.5%)	61.6	346^th of 900 public elementary schools	61.6%		56	385^th of 906 public elementary schools	57.5%	39	47.0	39.6	38.0	48.6	55.2		44.0	$12,060	$312	$11,748

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Southwest Elementary?

Students at Southwest Elementary are 100% White.

What schools do graduates of Southwest Elementary attend?

Students who attend Southwest Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lawson Middle
High : Lawson High

What district is Southwest Elementary in?

Lawson R-XIV

Is Southwest Elementary a good school?

Southwest Elementary ranks 458^th of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Southwest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 439 students attended Southwest Elementary.

Rate Southwest Elementary!

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MOMissouri Elementary School Rankings

MOMissouri District Rankings

Schools in Lawson, MO

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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.