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Lucy Wortham James Elementary

Q: Is Lucy Wortham James Elementary a good school?

Lucy Wortham James Elementary ranks 306 th of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

306^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Missouri Elementary Schools

Better than 66% of Missouri elementary schools

Summary

Lucy Wortham James Elementary is a public elementary school located in Saint James, Missouri, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 705 students. The school is part of the St. James R-I school district, which is ranked 93 out of 367 districts in Missouri and is rated 4 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Lucy Wortham James Elementary has consistently performed above the state average in mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency across grades 3-5 over the past few years. In 2024-2025, the school's 3rd-grade mathematics proficiency rate was 42.9%, compared to the state average of 41.4%, and its 4th-grade mathematics proficiency rate was 63.6%, significantly higher than the state's 43.8%. In ELA, the school's 4th-grade proficiency rate was 54.7%, compared to the state's 44.8%. Compared to nearby schools, such as Dent-Phelps Elementary, Newburg Elementary, and Steelville Elementary, Lucy Wortham James Elementary generally outperforms them in both mathematics and ELA proficiency.

Despite having a high percentage of students from low-income backgrounds, with 56.6% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year, the school has been able to support their academic achievement, particularly for its low-income and special education student populations. The school's special education population has performed well, with the 3rd-grade special education students ranking 9th out of 101 Missouri elementary schools in 2023-2024. However, the school's white student population has performed slightly below the state average, ranking 344th out of 666 Missouri elementary schools in 2024-2025. The school spends $12,340 per student, which is higher than the nearby Dent-Phelps Elementary ($11,038) and Steelville Elementary ($9,919) but lower than the Rolla-area schools ($14,675 for Col. John B. Wyman Elementary and $11,024 for Harry S. Truman Elementary).

681

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,665

Per pupil spending ?

51.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

314 S Jefferson
Saint James, MO 65559-1409

(573) 265-2300

District: St. James R-I

Students who attend Lucy Wortham James Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	St. James Middle
High:	St. James High

Racial breakdown:

White:

92.5%

Hispanic:

2.6%

Two or more races:

2.3%

See top rated Missouri elementary schools

Compare Lucy Wortham James Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 85th percentile in 2015 → 66th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Missouri average (49% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Above the Missouri median (66th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

District avg49%

Missouri avg42%

306^th of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Top 34%▼ down 19 pts since 2015

From top 15% (2015) to top 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

93^rd of 367St. James R-I 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	65.5	306 of 900	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.1	307 of 906	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.5	307 of 898	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.3	252 of 908	72.2%	★★★★☆
2021	74.4	198 of 901	78.0%	★★★★☆
2019	53.6	483 of 1052	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.3	568 of 1045	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	55.4	468 of 1032	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.2	314 of 865	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	81.0	162 of 1058	84.7%	★★★★☆
2014	76.2	198 of 1089	81.8%	★★★★☆
2013	66.5	327 of 1108	70.5%	★★★★☆
2012	55.3	523 of 1085	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	59.9	452 of 1088	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	51.9	550 of 1066	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	60.0	403 of 1053	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.7	340 of 1084	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	51.4	552 of 1080	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	51.4	532 of 1074	50.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2022	26.2	91 of 103	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	59.4	26 of 81	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.4	208 of 302	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	81.8	70 of 638	89.0%	★★★★☆
2024	71.9	104 of 625	83.4%	★★★★☆
2023	80.4	57 of 611	90.7%	★★★★★
2022	74.3	73 of 532	86.3%	★★★★☆
2021	85.8	41 of 574	92.9%	★★★★★
2019	59.4	313 of 907	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.9	340 of 887	61.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2024	78.9	9 of 101	91.1%	★★★★★
2023	43.1	59 of 107	44.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	48.7	344 of 666	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.1	335 of 668	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.2	335 of 673	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.5	276 of 675	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.1	234 of 691	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.0	586 of 917	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.4	629 of 898	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2024)91st percentile+25 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)89th percentile+23 vs school

White (2025)48th percentile-18 vs school

Disabled (2022)12th percentile-61 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics51%+10 vs state

Science48%+6 vs state

English Language Arts46%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lucy Wortham James 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
Lucy Wortham James Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	314 S Jefferson	Saint James	65559	Phelps County	St. James R-I	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 265-2300	681	57	12.0	51.8%	630 (92.5%)	12 (1.8%)	18 (2.6%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.3%)	65.5	306^th of 900 public elementary schools	66.0%		64.1	307^th of 906 public elementary schools	66.1%	1	42.9	63.6	45.3		48.0	41.0	54.7	43.0		$12,665	$757	$11,908
Harry S. Truman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	1001 E 18th St	Rolla	65401	Phelps County	Rolla 31	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 458-0180	448	36	12.5	57.6%	336 (75.0%)	34 (7.6%)	30 (6.7%)	11 (2.5%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (7.6%)								(n/a)	55.5					51.0				$12,548	$679	$11,869
Mark Twain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	1100 Mark Twain Dr	Rolla	65401	Phelps County	Rolla 31	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 458-0170	440	36	12.3	50.7%	360 (81.8%)	9 (2.0%)	21 (4.8%)	10 (2.3%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (8.2%)								(n/a)	44.7					42.9				$12,632	$1,036	$11,597
Col. John B. Wyman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	402 Lanning Ln	Rolla	65401	Phelps County	Rolla 31	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 458-0190	441	35	12.7	47.8%	350 (79.4%)	12 (2.7%)	30 (6.8%)	20 (4.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.9%)								(n/a)	56.0					45.8				$13,683	$1,132	$12,551
Cuba Elementary	Public	K-4	1 Wildcat Pride Dr	Cuba	65453	Crawford County	Crawford County R-II	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 885-2534	424	37	11.5	51.2%	382 (90.1%)	7 (1.7%)	24 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.6%)	53.7	425^th of 900 public elementary schools	52.8%		72.9	221^st of 906 public elementary schools	75.6%	204	33.9	57.8				38.3	44.2			$12,133	$510	$11,622
Steelville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	868 W Main St	Steelville	65565	Crawford County	Steelville R-III	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 775-2099	346	29	11.7	59.0%	335 (96.8%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	33.9	628^th of 900 public elementary schools	30.2%		25.2	694^th of 906 public elementary schools	23.4%	66	26.4	31.6				39.6				$12,431	$874	$11,557
Newburg Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	701 Wolf Pride Dr	Newburg	65550	Phelps County	Newburg R-II	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 762-9653	157	15	10.3	72.6%	145 (92.4%)	3 (1.9%)	3 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.5%)	25.6	693^rd of 900 public elementary schools	23.0%		17.2	757^th of 906 public elementary schools	16.4%	64	20.0		9.6	42.8	14.4				28.7	$13,498	$479	$13,019
Dent-Phelps Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	27870 Hwy C	Salem	65560	Dent County	Dent-Phelps R-III	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 729-4680	256	23	10.9	50.0%	245 (95.7%)	2 (0.8%)	4 (1.6%)	5 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	30.8			56.2						$11,839	$1,118	$10,721

Frequently Asked Questions about Lucy Wortham James Elementary

Is Lucy Wortham James Elementary a good school?

Lucy Wortham James Elementary ranks 306^th of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Lucy Wortham James Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 681 students attended Lucy Wortham James Elementary.

What district is Lucy Wortham James Elementary in?

St. James R-I

What schools do graduates of Lucy Wortham James Elementary attend?

Students who attend Lucy Wortham James Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : St. James Middle
High : St. James High

What is the racial makeup of Lucy Wortham James Elementary?

Students at Lucy Wortham James Elementary are 93% White, 3% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 2% African American.

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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.