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Cowden Elementary

Q: Is Cowden Elementary a good school?

Cowden Elementary ranks 503 rd of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

503^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Missouri Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of Missouri elementary schools

Summary

Cowden Elementary is a public elementary school in Springfield, Missouri, serving 269 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Springfield R-XII district, which is ranked 177 out of 367 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Cowden Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Missouri elementary schools, the school's performance on state assessments is generally below the district and state averages, particularly in mathematics. However, the school performs better in English Language Arts, with 5th-grade proficiency rates exceeding the district and state averages in recent years. Cowden Elementary has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 66.91% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Despite this, the school's ranking among low-socioeconomic status students is relatively high, suggesting that Cowden Elementary is doing a better job of supporting these students compared to other schools in the state.

Cowden Elementary's performance is generally lower than the nearby Rountree Elementary, Pershing Elementary, and Field Elementary, which have higher rankings and better academic outcomes. However, Cowden Elementary outperforms some other nearby schools, such as McGregor Elementary, which has consistently low rankings and test scores. The school's high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 16.4% to 30.6% in recent years, are a concern and may be contributing to its lower academic performance.

273

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,085

Per pupil spending ?

60.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2927 S Kimbrough
Springfield, MO 65807-3601

(417) 523-3500

District: Springfield R-Xii

Students who attend Cowden Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Pershing Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.3%

Hispanic:

13.9%

Two or more races:

9.5%

See top rated Missouri elementary schools

Compare Cowden Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 26th percentile in 2015 → 44th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg40%

Missouri avg42%

503^rd of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 18 pts since 2015

From bottom 26% (2015) to bottom 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 33Elementary Schools in the Springfield R-Xii

177^th of 367Springfield R-Xii 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	46.5	503 of 900	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.7	446 of 906	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.9	559 of 898	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.9	468 of 908	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.4	513 of 901	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.1	689 of 1052	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.3	862 of 1045	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	11.3	949 of 1032	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.1	783 of 865	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	33.5	778 of 1058	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	43.5	675 of 1089	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	42.3	718 of 1108	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.1	733 of 1085	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	40.0	744 of 1088	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	51.6	556 of 1066	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	54.7	487 of 1053	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.4	302 of 1084	72.1%	★★★★☆
2007	47.7	608 of 1080	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	56.9	429 of 1074	60.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	60.8	200 of 638	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.3	276 of 625	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.5	209 of 611	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.4	121 of 532	77.3%	★★★★☆
2021	52.4	231 of 574	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.7	506 of 907	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.9	662 of 887	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	34.9	462 of 666	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.2	555 of 668	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	595 of 673	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.9	492 of 675	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.2	376 of 691	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.5	620 of 917	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	19.5	798 of 898	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)69th percentile+25 vs school

White (2025)31st percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts43%~ state avg

Science42%~ state avg

Mathematics33%-8 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, December 20, 2019

Teachers turn the other way when there’s bullying happening, and when a child tries to warn them, they say go away or they’ll get in trouble. Trashy faculties Close Quote

Schools Near Cowden 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
Cowden Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2927 S Kimbrough	Springfield	65807	Greene County	Springfield R-Xii	No	No	No	Yes	(417) 523-3500	273	20	14.0	60.1%	170 (62.3%)	16 (5.9%)	38 (13.9%)	19 (7.0%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	26 (9.5%)	46.5	503^rd of 900 public elementary schools	44.1%		50.7	446^th of 906 public elementary schools	50.8%	57	20.6	45.5	31.7	41.8	32.4	43.1	52.3	$15,085	$1,100	$13,984
Holland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2403 S Holland	Springfield	65807	Greene County	Springfield R-Xii	No	No	No	Yes	(417) 523-4100	218	20	11.1	70.6%	142 (65.1%)	14 (6.4%)	31 (14.2%)	8 (3.7%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.5%)	20 (9.2%)	43.9	529^th of 900 public elementary schools	41.2%		60.6	345^th of 906 public elementary schools	61.9%	184	37.7	28.3		32.3	41.2	44.6	40.7	$16,941	$1,165	$15,776
Mark Twain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2352 S Weaver	Springfield	65807	Greene County	Springfield R-Xii	No	No	No	Yes	(417) 523-4300	356	24	14.5	68.8%	193 (54.2%)	45 (12.6%)	60 (16.9%)	8 (2.2%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	47 (13.2%)	47.6	491^st of 900 public elementary schools	45.4%		27.8	677^th of 906 public elementary schools	25.3%	186	48.4	39.0	30.2	27.2	45.3		40.8	$13,358	$1,068	$12,290
Sunshine Elementary	Public	K-5	421 E Sunshine	Springfield	65807	Greene County	Springfield R-Xii	No	No	No	Yes	(417) 523-5200	353	27	13.0	73.4%	231 (65.4%)	40 (11.3%)	42 (11.9%)	5 (1.4%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	32 (9.1%)	41.8	546^th of 900 public elementary schools	39.3%		38.4	573^rd of 906 public elementary schools	36.8%	27	41.4	26.8	14.2		45.1	44.9	41.0	$13,419	$1,266	$12,152
Horace Mann Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3745 S Broadway	Springfield	65807	Greene County	Springfield R-Xii	No	No	No	No	(417) 523-4400	378	27	14.2	61.1%	250 (66.1%)	18 (4.8%)	50 (13.2%)	22 (5.8%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	34 (9.0%)	44.4	521^st of 900 public elementary schools	42.1%		55.9	388^th of 906 public elementary schools	57.2%	133	29.3	35.6	27.8		42.1	41.0	47.7	$14,577	$1,234	$13,342
Field Elementary	Public	K-5	2120 Barataria	Springfield	65804	Greene County	Springfield R-Xii	No	No	No	No	(417) 523-4800	401	25	16.0	32.4%	312 (77.8%)	21 (5.2%)	25 (6.2%)	19 (4.7%)	4 (1.0%)	3 (0.7%)	17 (4.2%)	59.9	360^th of 900 public elementary schools	60.0%		51.6	435^th of 906 public elementary schools	52.0%	75	34.2	41.6	45.6	49.9	42.8	44.4	58.5	$13,408	$1,221	$12,187
Walt Disney Elementary	Public	K-5	4100 S Fremont	Springfield	65804	Greene County	Springfield R-Xii	No	No	No	No	(417) 523-3600	514	29	17.7	27.4%	392 (76.3%)	19 (3.7%)	32 (6.2%)	41 (8.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.1%)	82.4	143^rd of 900 public elementary schools	84.1%		84.9	106^th of 906 public elementary schools	88.3%	37	53.1	53.2	53.8	64.0	55.3	63.6	69.6	$13,134	$1,143	$11,991
Delaware Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1505 S Delaware	Springfield	65804	Greene County	Springfield R-Xii	No	No	No	Yes	(417) 523-3700	347	28	12.3	62.0%	247 (71.2%)	34 (9.8%)	36 (10.4%)	6 (1.7%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	21 (6.1%)	25.5	694^th of 900 public elementary schools	22.9%		34.4	613^th of 906 public elementary schools	32.3%	81	27.8	39.9	10.6	18.5	27.8	35.5	23.7	$16,071	$1,485	$14,586
Rountree Elementary	Public	K-5	1333 E Grand	Springfield	65804	Greene County	Springfield R-Xii	No	No	No	No	(417) 523-4900	210	14	15.0	51.9%	141 (67.1%)	15 (7.1%)	17 (8.1%)	12 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	24 (11.4%)	50.3	460^th of 900 public elementary schools	48.9%		34.9	608^th of 906 public elementary schools	32.9%	148		25.0	30.0	47.5	52.9	40.0		$15,437	$1,149	$14,288
Pershing Elementary	Public	K-5	2120 Ventura	Springfield	65804	Greene County	Springfield R-Xii	No	No	No	No	(417) 523-2400	142	10	14.2	53.5%	111 (78.2%)	5 (3.5%)	11 (7.7%)	5 (3.5%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.6%)	43.7	531^st of 900 public elementary schools	41.0%		54.6	400^th of 906 public elementary schools	55.8%	131	24.3	72.3	28.7		30.4			$14,040	$1,258	$12,783

Frequently Asked Questions about Cowden Elementary

What district is Cowden Elementary in?

Springfield R-Xii

What is the racial makeup of Cowden Elementary?

Students at Cowden Elementary are 62% White, 14% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 7% Asian, 6% African American, 1% American Indian.

How many students attend Cowden Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 273 students attended Cowden Elementary.

Is Cowden Elementary a good school?

Cowden Elementary ranks 503^rd of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Cowden Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cowden Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Pershing Middle

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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.