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Central Elementary

Public Grades 1-5

774^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Missouri Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of Missouri elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary is a public elementary school located in Steele, Missouri, serving grades 1-6 with a total enrollment of 270 students. The school is part of the South Pemiscot County R-V school district, which is ranked 304 out of 367 districts in Missouri and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central Elementary faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, well below average test scores across all grade levels and subject areas, and an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 98.82% to 100% over the past few years. Despite the relatively high spending per student at Central Elementary, ranging from $9,540 to $11,832 per student, the school's academic performance remains significantly below state and district averages. In comparison, the surrounding schools, which are part of the North Pemiscot County R-I, Kennett 39, and Cooter R-IV districts, generally perform better on test scores and other metrics.

However, it's worth noting that while Central Elementary's overall performance is low, the school has performed relatively well for certain subgroups, such as ranking 47th out of 243 Missouri elementary schools for African American students and 70th out of 251 for disabled students in 2017-2018. Additionally, the nearby East Elementary school, which is also part of the South Pemiscot County R-V district, has significantly lower enrollment (37 students) and a lower student-teacher ratio (5.1) compared to Central Elementary. Addressing the challenges faced by Central Elementary will require a comprehensive approach that addresses both academic and non-academic factors impacting student success.

235

Students ?

12.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,829

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

611 Beasley Rd
Steele, MO 63877-1726

(573) 695-4781

District: South Pemiscot County R-V

Students who attend Central Elementary usually attend:

High:

South Pemiscot High

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.1%

African American:

22.6%

Two or more races:

9.8%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 45th percentile in 2015 → 14th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Missouri average (19% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 31 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg19%

Missouri avg42%

774^th of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 31 pts since 2015

From bottom 45% (2015) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

304^th of 367South Pemiscot County 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	14.8	774 of 900	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.5	594 of 906	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.0	699 of 898	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.4	734 of 908	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.7	771 of 901	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.7	856 of 1052	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	48.8	528 of 1045	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.1	655 of 1032	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	40.7	557 of 865	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.9	578 of 1058	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	44.8	654 of 1089	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	40.3	759 of 1108	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	35.7	811 of 1085	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	36.7	792 of 1088	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	19.7	941 of 1066	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	24.9	890 of 1053	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.2	971 of 1084	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	16.3	1004 of 1080	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	24.9	925 of 1074	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2018	69.9	47 of 243	80.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2018	69.0	70 of 251	72.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	32.9	452 of 638	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	63.5	161 of 625	74.2%	★★★★☆
2023	44.7	321 of 611	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.9	315 of 532	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.8	380 of 574	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.2	590 of 907	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	70.6	175 of 887	80.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	10.7	630 of 666	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.4	536 of 673	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	578 of 675	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.4	663 of 691	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.5	751 of 917	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.9	507 of 898	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2018)81st percentile+31 vs school

Disabled (2018)72nd percentile+23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)29th percentile+15 vs school

White (2025)5th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts24%-19 vs state

Mathematics18%-22 vs state

Science12%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central 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)					MAP Algebra I (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	MAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAP Algebra I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Elementary	Public	1-5	611 Beasley Rd	Steele	63877	Pemiscot County	South Pemiscot County R-V	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 695-4781	235	19	12.4	100.0%	139 (59.1%)	53 (22.6%)	20 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (9.8%)	14.8	774^th of 900 public elementary schools	14.0%		36.5	594^th of 906 public elementary schools	34.4%	180	15.8		21.0		11.7	24.0		23.3				$12,829		$12,829
East Elementary	Public	PK-K	709 E. Main Extension	Steele	63877	Pemiscot County	South Pemiscot County R-V	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 695-4426	80	5	15.6	100.0%	54 (67.5%)	10 (12.5%)	5 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (13.8%)								(n/a)												$8,735	$70	$8,665
Cooter Elementary	Public	K-6	1867 State Highway E	Cooter	63839	Pemiscot County	Cooter R-IV	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 695-4584	79	9	8.8	53.2%	75 (94.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	21.5											$18,900	$1,610	$17,290
Pemiscot County R-III Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	1727 County Hwy 536	Caruthersville	63830	Pemiscot County	Pemiscot County R-III	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 333-1856	116	12	9.4	100.0%	115 (99.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										69.4	22.4	$15,816	$19	$15,797
Delta C-7 Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	20 Charger Ln	Deering	63840	Pemiscot County	Delta C-7	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 757-6615	97	11	8.6	67.0%	76 (78.4%)	8 (8.2%)	4 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (9.3%)								(n/a)			13.4		20.1							$14,029	$921	$13,108
Caruthersville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	900 Washington Ave	Caruthersville	63830	Pemiscot County	Caruthersville 18	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 333-6100	475	35	13.5	100.0%	172 (36.2%)	213 (44.8%)	19 (4.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (14.3%)	13.8	786^th of 900 public elementary schools	12.7%		13.9	790^th of 906 public elementary schools	12.8%	4	19.8	8.0	8.9		17.5	29.1	24.9	19.0				$9,567	$399	$9,168
Mathis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	607 N Sixth St	Hayti	63851	Pemiscot County	Hayti R-II	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 359-6500	383	36	10.5	100.0%	92 (24.0%)	280 (73.1%)	8 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	16.2	765^th of 900 public elementary schools	15.0%		9.8	837^th of 906 public elementary schools	7.6%	72	13.6	11.7	49.9	18.2	21.1	8.6	16.3	21.2	17.8			$11,002	$1,004	$9,997
South Elementary	Public	3-5	920 S Kennett St	Kennett	63857	Dunklin County	Kennett 39	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 717-1130	420	32	12.9	100.0%	229 (54.5%)	147 (35.0%)	39 (9.3%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38.4	584^th of 900 public elementary schools	35.1%		42.5	537^th of 906 public elementary schools	40.7%	47	27.7	24.9	33.5		52.4	33.3	24.7	44.2				$10,135	$1,991	$8,144
H. Byron Masterson Elementary	Public	K-2	1600 Ely St	Kennett	63857	Dunklin County	Kennett 39	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 717-1115	417	36	11.5	100.0%	195 (46.8%)	141 (33.8%)	36 (8.6%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.6%)								(n/a)												$9,298	$1,536	$7,763
Ross Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	102 School Drive	Wardell	63879	Pemiscot County	North Pemiscot County R-I	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 359-0543	114	10	11.3	100.0%	107 (93.9%)	6 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)								(n/a)												$12,462	$1,662	$10,799

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary

What district is Central Elementary in?

South Pemiscot County R-V

Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks in the bottom 14.0% of Missouri elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : South Pemiscot High

How many students attend Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 235 students attended Central Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary?

Students at Central Elementary are 59% White, 23% African American, 10% Two or more races, 9% 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.