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Leslie Bell Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-4

744^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Missouri Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of Missouri elementary schools

Summary

Leslie Bell Elementary is a public elementary school located in Lexington, Missouri, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 365 students. The school is part of the Lexington R-V School District, which is ranked 334 out of 367 districts in Missouri and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Leslie Bell Elementary has consistently low academic performance, ranking in the bottom half of Missouri elementary schools over the past several years. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school ranked 744 out of 900 Missouri elementary schools, with only 15.2% of 3rd graders and 27.8% of 4th graders proficient or better in Mathematics, and 17.1% of 3rd graders and 33.9% of 4th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts. This is significantly below the state averages of around 41-45% proficiency. Compared to nearby schools, such as Elkhorn Elementary, which has significantly higher proficiency rates, Leslie Bell Elementary is underperforming.

Additionally, Leslie Bell Elementary has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 18.9% to 31.7% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average and the nearby schools, such as Odessa Upper Elementary (22.7% chronic absenteeism). The school also has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 63.56% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year, which is significantly higher than the nearby schools. These factors may be contributing to the school's declining performance over the years.

339

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,045

Per pupil spending ?

61.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

400 S 20th St
Lexington, MO 64067-1899

(660) 259-4341

District: Lexington R-V

Students who attend Leslie Bell Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Lexington Middle
High:	Lexington High

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.8%

Two or more races:

7.1%

Hispanic:

6.8%

See top rated Missouri elementary schools

Compare Leslie Bell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 15th percentile in 2015 → 17th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Missouri average (23% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 21 pts below the Missouri average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg23%

Missouri avg43%

744^th of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

334^th of 367Lexington R-V 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	18.7	744 of 900	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	736 of 906	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.0	683 of 898	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.8	633 of 908	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.6	614 of 901	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.2	515 of 1052	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	18.0	905 of 1045	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	34.5	734 of 1032	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	17.1	751 of 865	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.4	896 of 1058	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	24.5	911 of 1089	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	38.8	777 of 1108	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	35.5	816 of 1085	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	28.5	889 of 1088	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	26.3	885 of 1066	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	49.4	578 of 1053	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.0	648 of 1084	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	36.2	796 of 1080	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	25.4	920 of 1074	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	21.8	548 of 638	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.6	526 of 625	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.3	470 of 611	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.5	379 of 532	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.3	348 of 574	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.0	317 of 907	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	14.7	827 of 887	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	11.9	622 of 666	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	648 of 668	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.1	617 of 673	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.8	553 of 675	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.1	513 of 691	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.2	637 of 917	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	6.6	890 of 898	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)14th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)7th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts25%-18 vs state

Mathematics21%-21 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, July 16, 2019

I feel as though this school is very student-centered. My kids are thriving in this school. At their previous school, the teachers seemed content to just let them fall behind, where Leslie Bell has worked to help them achieve ever higher academic goals each year. Close Quote

Schools Near Leslie Bell 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 Science 5th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Leslie Bell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	400 S 20th St	Lexington	64067	Lafayette County	Lexington R-V	No	No	No	Yes	(660) 259-4341	339	30	11.4	61.1%	284 (83.8%)	8 (2.4%)	23 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.1%)	18.7	744^th of 900 public elementary schools	17.3%		19.6	736^th of 906 public elementary schools	18.8%	8	15.2	27.8				17.1	33.9			$13,045	$912	$12,133
Hardin-Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	500 NE 1st St	Hardin	64035	Ray County	Hardin-Central C-2	No	No	No	Yes	(660) 398-4394	110	12	9.5	40.9%	108 (98.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)								(n/a)				62.4						$15,910	$596	$15,314
Wellington-Napoleon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	800 Hwy 131	Wellington	64097	Lafayette County	Wellington-Napoleon R-Ix	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 240-2631	178	17	10.5	34.8%	161 (90.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.5%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.9%)								(n/a)			30.0							$13,684	$134	$13,550
Sunrise Elementary	Public	2-5	401 Matt Waller Dr	Richmond	64085	Ray County	Richmond R-XVI	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 776-3059	460	34	13.5	48.0%	410 (89.1%)	6 (1.3%)	5 (1.1%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.4%)	20.8	731^st of 900 public elementary schools	18.8%		25.4	693^rd of 906 public elementary schools	23.5%	38	13.1	15.8	14.7		32.9	23.5	24.7	35.4		$10,609	$168	$10,441
Dear Elementary	Public	PK, KG-1	701 E Main	Richmond	64085	Ray County	Richmond R-XVI	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 776-5401	300	28	10.7	55.7%	263 (87.7%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (9.0%)								(n/a)										$11,437	$360	$11,077
Grandview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	705 W 31st	Higginsville	64037	Lafayette County	Lafayette County C-1	No	No	No	Yes	(660) 584-7127	440	33	13.1	47.5%	393 (89.3%)	11 (2.5%)	13 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.2%)	27.5	681^st of 900 public elementary schools	24.3%		28.9	665^th of 906 public elementary schools	26.6%	16	15.8	24.4	23.2				36.4	38.3		$13,207	$614	$12,594
Norborne Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	210 E Fifth	Norborne	64668	Carroll County	Norborne R-VIII	No	No	No	Yes	(660) 593-3616	71	11	6.2	50.7%	71 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										$21,551	$1,376	$20,175
McQuerry Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	607 S Third St	Odessa	64076	Lafayette County	Odessa R-Vii	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 633-5334	497	38	12.9	37.2%	437 (87.9%)	3 (0.6%)	21 (4.2%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (6.2%)								(n/a)										$11,043	$527	$10,516
Orrick Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	100 Kirkham	Orrick	64077	Ray County	Orrick R-Xi	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 770-3922	160	13	12.3	57.5%	151 (94.4%)	4 (2.5%)	4 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)								(n/a)	40.0								27.3	$14,804	$743	$14,060
Odessa Upper Elementary	Public	3-5	1100 West Cox School Road	Odessa	64076	Lafayette County	Odessa R-Vii	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 633-5396	429	34	12.5	37.8%	377 (87.9%)	4 (0.9%)	15 (3.5%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.0%)	37.8	593^rd of 900 public elementary schools	34.1%		42.6	534^th of 906 public elementary schools	41.1%	59	39.9	24.5	34.9		37.1	42.6	25.5	34.2		$11,189	$550	$10,638

Frequently Asked Questions about Leslie Bell Elementary

Is Leslie Bell Elementary a good school?

Leslie Bell Elementary ranks in the bottom 17.3% of Missouri elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Leslie Bell Elementary?

Students at Leslie Bell Elementary are 84% White, 7% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 2% African American.

What district is Leslie Bell Elementary in?

Lexington R-V

What schools do graduates of Leslie Bell Elementary attend?

Students who attend Leslie Bell Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lexington Middle
High : Lexington High

How many students attend Leslie Bell Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 339 students attended Leslie Bell Elementary.

Rate Leslie Bell 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.