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An analysis by The 74 identified dozens of Missouri schools where disadvantaged student groups — low-income students, English learners and students with disabilities — score above statewide averages on third-grade reading tests. The findings come as the state grapples with a decade-long decline in reading scores.
Dozens of Missouri public schools are producing reading results for disadvantaged students that exceed the statewide average for all students, according to a new analysis by The 74, offering potential models for a state whose fourth-grade reading scores have fallen more than 10 points over the past decade. The analysis identified 83 schools where low-income students outperformed the statewide average, along with a smaller set of schools beating the odds for English learners and students with disabilities.
The 74’s Bright Spots project does not rank schools by raw test scores, which can reflect advantages students bring from home. Instead, the analysis adjusted for student demographics and identified schools producing stronger reading outcomes than expected based on their average poverty level. Nationally, the project sifted through data on 42,000 schools and designated 2,158 as Bright Spots.
In Missouri, just under 42% of students scored proficient or higher on the state’s third-grade reading test in 2025, according to the report. Among low-income students, the proficiency rate was under 30%. Yet among schools with at least 20 low-income test-takers, 83 saw their economically disadvantaged students score better than the statewide average for all students. Some, including Mallinckrodt Elementary in St. Louis and John T. Hartman Elementary in Kansas City, are selective magnet schools that may not offer replicable models. Others, such as Cedar Springs and Cole Camp elementaries, are open to all students in their communities.
The analysis found similar outliers for other student groups. Five Missouri schools had higher reading proficiency rates for English learners than the state overall, led by McKelvey Intermediate, where 71% of English learners scored proficient or better — roughly 30 points above the state’s overall proficiency rate. The North Kansas City School District had two of the top five schools in that category. Among students with disabilities, only 14% statewide reached proficiency in third-grade reading, but students with disabilities at Lakeview Elementary in Wentzville outperformed the statewide average for all students, and the Lindbergh School District placed two schools in the top five.
Why Outlier Schools Matter for Missouri
The findings arrive as Missouri struggles with one of the steepest reading declines in the country. Fourth-grade scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) fell more than 10 points between 2013 and 2024, and the state’s 2025 distribution shows more low performers and fewer medium and high performers than a decade ago.
The state has invested millions of dollars in recent years in teacher training, evidence-based instruction, literacy screening and interventions for struggling readers, according to The 74. Many of those reform efforts are still being implemented, and statewide averages can take years to respond. The report argues that schools already succeeding with disadvantaged students offer a faster starting point: by visiting classrooms, interviewing staff, examining curricula and observing how struggling readers are supported, policymakers could identify which policies work and which get in the way.
The analysis also addresses a common pitfall in school rankings. Schools with high raw scores may simply enroll students who arrive prepared, rather than adding value themselves. By controlling for poverty, the Bright Spots approach attempts to isolate schools that are genuinely outperforming expectations.
A Decade of Declining Scores and Reform
Missouri, like nearly every state, has seen reading scores fall over the past decade. The 74’s report visualizes the shift by comparing the distribution of fourth-grade NAEP reading scores in 2013 versus 2024, showing an average decline of 10.4 points and a marked growth in the share of low-performing students.
In response, state leaders have undertaken a multi-year overhaul of reading instruction, including investments in training grounded in the science of reading and expanded screening for students who fall behind. The article is part of The 74’s broader Bright Spots series, which highlights schools where every child learns to read regardless of zip code, and its ongoing SPOTLIGHT series on education in Missouri.
“Data alone can’t tell us why these schools succeed. But it can tell us where to start looking.”
— The 74, Bright Spots report
What the Test Data Cannot Explain
The analysis does not explain why the identified schools succeed. The report itself notes that factors such as exceptional leadership, unusually talented teachers or local circumstances may drive the results and could be difficult to replicate elsewhere.
Several of the top schools for low-income students are selective magnet schools, meaning their outcomes may reflect admissions practices rather than instructional approaches available to all students. The report flags Cedar Springs and Cole Camp elementaries as open-enrollment alternatives worth investigating, but no classroom-level research has yet been conducted.
It also remains unclear how quickly Missouri’s ongoing reform investments will affect statewide results, since many efforts are still in early implementation.
Studying the Schools That Beat the Odds
The 74 suggests that state leaders could follow up on the data with direct investigation: visiting classrooms, interviewing teachers and principals, examining the curricula the identified schools use, and observing how they support struggling readers.
The report also invites educators, researchers and policymakers to report how the Bright Spots findings are being used. Whether Missouri officials formally adopt any of these schools as models for the state’s reading reform efforts has not been announced.
Key Questions
Which Missouri schools were identified as Bright Spots for low-income readers?
The analysis named Cedar Springs and Cole Camp elementaries as open-enrollment schools with strong low-income outcomes, along with selective magnet schools Mallinckrodt Elementary in St. Louis and John T. Hartman Elementary in Kansas City. In total, 83 Missouri schools with at least 20 low-income test-takers outperformed the statewide average for all students.
How were the Bright Spots schools selected?
Rather than ranking by raw scores, The 74 adjusted for student demographics and identified schools producing stronger reading outcomes than expected based on their average poverty level. Nationwide, the project reviewed data on 42,000 schools and designated 2,158 as Bright Spots.
How are English learners and students with disabilities faring in Missouri reading?
Statewide, just 14% of students with disabilities reached proficiency on the 2025 third-grade reading test. Five schools beat the state average with English learners, led by McKelvey Intermediate at 71% proficiency. Lakeview Elementary in Wentzville saw students with disabilities outperform the statewide average for all students.
Why have Missouri’s reading scores declined?
The report does not identify a cause. It notes that fourth-grade NAEP reading scores fell more than 10 points between 2013 and 2024, one of the largest declines in the country, and that many of the state’s reform efforts are still being implemented.
Do these schools prove a particular teaching method works?
No. The report states that data alone cannot explain why the schools succeed, and that some may benefit from leadership, staffing or local circumstances that are difficult to replicate. It recommends classroom-level investigation as the next step.
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