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Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

729^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Missouri Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Missouri elementary schools

Summary

Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center is a public magnet elementary school in St. Louis City, Missouri, serving grades PK-5 with 281 students enrolled. While the school has a focus on visual and performing arts, it faces significant challenges, including consistently underperforming on state assessments and having extremely high chronic absenteeism rates.

Academically, Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center lags behind both state and district averages. In 2024-2025, only 33.3% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in math, compared to 41.4% statewide and 16.5% in St. Louis City. The school also struggles with high chronic absenteeism, ranging from 35.3% to 53.7% over the past few years. However, the school does stand out in its performance for African American students, ranking in the top 40 Missouri elementary schools for this subgroup over the past three years.

Interestingly, the nearby Betty Wheeler Classical Junior Ac and Mallinckrodt A.B.I. Elementary are both top-performing magnet schools in the state, highlighting the significant disparities in educational opportunities within the St. Louis City district. While Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center spends more per student than the state average, its academic results lag far behind, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be enough to drive improvements.

272

Students ?

10.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,947

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5329 Columbia Ave
Saint Louis, MO 63139-1443

(314) 776-5091

District: St. Louis City

Racial breakdown:

African American:

88.2%

White:

5.1%

Two or more races:

3.7%

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Compare Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 9th percentile in 2015 → 19th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2015

✓Among the top-ranked schools in St. Louis City

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Missouri average (23% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 26 pts below the Missouri average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg18%

Missouri avg42%

729^th of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▲ up 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 9% (2015) to bottom 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 31Elementary Schools in the St. Louis City

329^th of 367St. Louis City 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	21.1	729 of 900	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	763 of 906	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	757 of 898	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.5	830 of 908	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.8	863 of 901	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.0	1011 of 1052	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.2	987 of 1045	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	20.1	883 of 1032	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.3	739 of 865	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	13.2	961 of 1058	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	17.0	970 of 1089	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	14.9	1009 of 1108	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	14.3	988 of 1085	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	16.5	990 of 1088	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	12.1	1002 of 1066	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	10.8	989 of 1053	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	13.6	1022 of 1084	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	19.8	981 of 1080	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	56.5	435 of 1074	59.5%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	63.4	40 of 190	78.9%	★★★★☆
2024	65.7	37 of 191	80.6%	★★★★☆
2023	68.8	31 of 185	83.2%	★★★★☆
2022	49.2	80 of 184	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.7	134 of 163	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.9	215 of 250	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.1	201 of 243	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	9.0	298 of 302	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	44.6	347 of 638	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.2	394 of 625	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.3	375 of 611	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.4	439 of 532	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.3	537 of 574	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.2	868 of 907	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	831 of 887	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)79th percentile+60 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)46th percentile+27 vs school

Disabled (2019)1st percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics27%-14 vs state

Science22%-20 vs state

English Language Arts19%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center

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 Mathematics 7th Grade	MAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAP Science 5th Grade	MAP Science 8th 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 English Language Arts 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	5329 Columbia Ave	Saint Louis	63139	St. Louis city	St. Louis City	No	Yes	No	Yes	(314) 776-5091	272	26	10.4	100.0%	14 (5.1%)	240 (88.2%)	4 (1.5%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.7%)	21.1	729^th of 900 public elementary schools	19.0%		16.7	763^rd of 906 public elementary schools	15.8%	34	33.3	19.1	27.0				22.1			12.0	23.6				$23,947	$547	$23,400
Premier Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	5279 Fyler Avenue	Saint Louis	63139	St. Louis city	Premier Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(314) 645-9600	974	107	9.1	55.9%	377 (38.7%)	325 (33.4%)	174 (17.9%)	31 (3.2%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	61 (6.3%)	25.6	692^nd of 900 public elementary schools	23.1%		28.4	670^th of 906 public elementary schools	26.0%	22	21.8	22.1	30.8	22.5	28.7	31.2	25.6	30.0	31.3	33.3	34.9	22.5	43.2	44.5	$16,701	$1,022	$15,679
Mason Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	6031 Southwest Ave	Saint Louis	63139	St. Louis city	St. Louis City	No	No	No	Yes	(314) 645-1201	393	35	11.2	100.0%	168 (42.7%)	141 (35.9%)	55 (14.0%)	12 (3.1%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (2.8%)	39.8	568^th of 900 public elementary schools	36.9%		41.2	550^th of 906 public elementary schools	39.3%	18	31.0	31.0	35.2	55.5			33.4		42.5	22.8	36.0	33.2			$22,115	$546	$21,570
Betty Wheeler Classical Junior Ac	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	5031 Potomac	Saint Louis	63139	St. Louis city	St. Louis City	No	Yes	No	No	(314) 353-8875	260	23	11.4	100.0%	129 (49.6%)	75 (28.8%)	10 (3.8%)	20 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (10.0%)	99.3	2^nd of 900 public elementary schools	99.8%		99.4	2^nd of 906 public elementary schools	99.8%		84.3	88.8	88.0				92.0		82.3	90.7	94.0				$21,330	$239	$21,091
Mullanphy Botanical Gardens	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4221 Shaw Blvd	Saint Louis	63110	St. Louis city	St. Louis City	No	Yes	No	Yes	(314) 772-0994	413	41	10.0	100.0%	27 (6.5%)	350 (84.7%)	28 (6.8%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	10.9	814^th of 900 public elementary schools	9.6%		8.2	850^th of 906 public elementary schools	6.2%	36	8.6	26.9	8.9				15.9		13.6	19.3	19.4				$24,793	$546	$24,247
City Garden Montessori Ecec	Public, Charter	PK-K	1618 Tower Grove Ave	Saint Louis	63110	St. Louis city	City Garden Montessori	Yes	No	No	Yes	(314) 664-7646	180	13	14.4	53.3%	65 (36.1%)	73 (40.6%)	13 (7.2%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	26 (14.4%)								(n/a)															$14,395	$1,361	$13,034
Mann Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	4047 Juniata St	Saint Louis	63116	St. Louis city	St. Louis City	No	No	No	Yes	(314) 772-4545	261	19	13.7	100.0%	65 (24.9%)	108 (41.4%)	53 (20.3%)	23 (8.8%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	10 (3.8%)	20.5	733^rd of 900 public elementary schools	18.6%		16.2	766^th of 906 public elementary schools	15.5%	33		21.5	17.3				28.6		25.8	21.5	28.7				$21,543	$547	$20,996
Mallinckrodt A.B.I. Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	6020 Pernod Ave	Saint Louis	63139	St. Louis city	St. Louis City	No	Yes	No	No	(314) 352-9212	313	22	14.0	100.0%	210 (67.1%)	50 (16.0%)	14 (4.5%)	13 (4.2%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (7.3%)	99.5	1^st of 900 public elementary schools	99.9%		99.6	1^st of 906 public elementary schools	99.9%		94.0	85.1	91.7				93.7		88.0	98.0	89.7				$18,555	$239	$18,316
Gateway Science Academy/St Louis	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	6576 Smiley Avenue	Saint Louis	63139	St. Louis city	Gateway Science Academy/St Louis	Yes	No	No	Yes	(314) 932-7513	377	30	12.5	48.8%	216 (57.3%)	88 (23.3%)	25 (6.6%)	9 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (10.3%)	72.2	228^th of 900 public elementary schools	74.7%		75.4	192^nd of 906 public elementary schools	78.8%	36	47.0	55.1	44.3				57.0		47.0		56.3				$22,250	$545	$21,705
Adams Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1311 Tower Grove Ave	Saint Louis	63110	St. Louis city	St. Louis City	No	No	No	Yes	(314) 535-3910	171	14	12.2	100.0%	8 (4.7%)	157 (91.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.3%)	5.6	869^th of 900 public elementary schools	3.4%		5.5	876^th of 906 public elementary schools	3.3%	7		16.8					4.3			5.7	12.6				$22,005	$546	$21,459

Frequently Asked Questions about Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center

What district is Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center in?

St. Louis City

How many students attend Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 272 students attended Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center.

What is the racial makeup of Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center?

Students at Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center are 88% African American, 5% White, 4% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

Is Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center a good school?

Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center ranks in the bottom 19.0% of Missouri elementary schools.

Rate Shaw Visual/Perf. Arts Center!

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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.