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Southland Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

829^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Missouri Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of Missouri elementary schools

Summary

Southland Elementary is a public elementary school located in Cardwell, Missouri, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 139 students. The school is part of the Southland C-9 school district, which is ranked 358 out of 367 districts in Missouri and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Southland Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of Missouri elementary schools, with a ranking between 814-868 out of 900-1,052 schools in recent years. The school's academic performance is significantly below the state average across various subjects and grade levels, with only 20.9% of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in math in 2024-2025, compared to the state average of 41.4%. In comparison, the nearby South Elementary in the Kennett 39 district had significantly higher proficiency rates in math and English language arts across multiple grade levels.

Southland Elementary also faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.9% to 29.9% in recent years, which is notably higher than the 20.1% rate at South Elementary. Additionally, the school serves a predominantly low-socioeconomic student population, with 97.73% to 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in recent years, compared to 99.26% at South Elementary. Despite the relatively high spending per student at Southland Elementary, ranging from $9,876 to $12,940 in recent years, the school's academic performance remains significantly below the state average, suggesting that a more comprehensive approach may be necessary to address the unique challenges faced by the school and its community.

150

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,549

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

500 S Main
Cardwell, MO 63829-7187

(573) 654-3564

District: Southland C-9

Students who attend Southland Elementary usually attend:

High:

Southland High

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.3%

Hispanic:

18.7%

Two or more races:

2.0%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 20th percentile in 2014 → 8th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Missouri average (11% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school11%

District avg11%

Missouri avg41%

829^th of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 13% (2015) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

358^th of 367Southland C-9 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	9.1	829 of 900	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	834 of 906	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.7	825 of 898	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.4	814 of 908	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	5.3	868 of 901	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.1	868 of 1052	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.6	908 of 1045	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	6.8	981 of 1032	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	18.6	920 of 1058	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	28.4	867 of 1089	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	13.4	1021 of 1108	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	25.4	917 of 1085	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.4	839 of 1088	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	43.1	682 of 1066	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	36.9	755 of 1053	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	35.8	817 of 1084	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	50.2	565 of 1080	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	43.9	662 of 1074	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	19.4	561 of 638	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.9	535 of 625	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	508 of 611	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.7	406 of 532	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.4	535 of 574	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	37.0	641 of 907	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.0	701 of 887	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	17.0	844 of 917	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.9	862 of 898	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)12th percentile+4 vs school

White (2019)8th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics14%-25 vs state

English Language Arts5%-40 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southland 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
Southland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	500 S Main	Cardwell	63829	Dunklin County	Southland C-9	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 654-3564	150	10	15.0	100.0%	119 (79.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (18.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.0%)	9.1	829^th of 900 public elementary schools	7.9%		9.9	834^th of 906 public elementary schools	7.9%	5	20.9		5.7			5.0		$13,549	$480	$13,068
Senath-Hornersville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	802 S State	Senath	63876	Dunklin County	Senath-Hornersville C-8	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 738-2515	292	22	13.0	100.0%	158 (54.1%)	5 (1.7%)	114 (39.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.1%)	48.6	480^th of 900 public elementary schools	46.7%					(n/a)	45.4	21.9			47.2			$10,785	$1,055	$9,730
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Southland Elementary

What schools do graduates of Southland Elementary attend?

Students who attend Southland Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Southland High

What is the racial makeup of Southland Elementary?

Students at Southland Elementary are 79% White, 19% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Southland Elementary in?

Southland C-9

How many students attend Southland Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 150 students attended Southland Elementary.

Is Southland Elementary a good school?

Southland Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.9% of Missouri elementary schools.

Rate Southland Elementary!

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Schools in Cardwell, 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.