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The 74 identified Missouri schools where students facing common barriers to reading achieved stronger results than state benchmarks. The findings come as Missouri fourth-grade reading scores have fallen since 2013 and the state continues literacy reforms. The data point to schools for further study but do not explain why their results are stronger.
A new analysis from The 74 identifies Missouri public schools where students facing common barriers to reading scored above statewide benchmarks, offering state leaders potential places to study as they continue literacy reforms. The results include strong outcomes for low-income students, English learners and students with disabilities, groups whose statewide reading proficiency rates are lower.
The analysis compared school results with statewide benchmarks rather than ranking schools only by their overall scores. The 74 said raw scores can reflect factors students bring to school, including early literacy knowledge and support at home. Its Bright Spots project adjusted for student demographics and poverty levels, examining data from 42,000 schools nationally and identifying 2,158 as producing stronger reading outcomes than expected for their average poverty levels.
In Missouri, just under 42% of third-graders scored proficient or higher on the state reading test in 2025. Among low-income students, the share was below 30%. Of Missouri schools with at least 20 low-income test-takers, 83 had low-income students scoring above the statewide average for all students. The report named Cedar Springs and Cole Camp elementary schools as community schools with strong results; it also cited selective magnet schools Mallinckrodt Elementary in St. Louis and John T. Hartman Elementary in Kansas City.
The report found five schools where English learners’ proficiency rates exceeded the statewide rate for all students. At McKelvey Intermediate, 71% of English learners scored proficient or higher on the third-grade test, 30 percentage points above the statewide rate. For students with disabilities, whose statewide proficiency rate was 14%, Lakeview Elementary in Wentzville stood out: its students with disabilities scored above the statewide average for all students.
Where Missouri Could Study Reading Gains
The findings give Missouri officials specific schools to examine while the state continues efforts to improve reading instruction. Visits to classrooms and conversations with educators could help policymakers learn how these schools teach foundational skills and support students who are struggling. The report suggests looking at curricula, teacher practices and interventions as possible areas of inquiry, rather than treating a school’s scores alone as an explanation.
That distinction matters for districts trying to adapt successful approaches. A strong result for a student group is a reason to investigate how it was achieved, but it does not establish that a particular practice caused the outcome or that another school could reproduce it. The schools’ circumstances may differ, and the analysis does not identify which methods, if any, account for the gap.
Reading Results Behind the Search
Missouri has spent several years changing its approach to reading instruction, with state investments in teacher training, evidence-based instruction, literacy screening and interventions for struggling readers. Those measures are still being implemented, and statewide results can take time to reflect changes in classrooms.
Even so, the state’s fourth-grade reading performance has fallen over the longer term. According to the report’s account of National Assessment of Educational Progress data, Missouri’s average fourth-grade reading score dropped 10.4 points from 2013 to 2024, among the largest declines in the country. The 74 described a shift toward more low-scoring students and fewer in the middle and upper ranges. That statewide trend gives added relevance to the search for schools serving disadvantaged students well.
What the School Data Cannot Explain
The analysis identifies results, but it does not establish why particular schools performed strongly. The report notes that leadership, teacher skill and local conditions could contribute, and some factors may be difficult for other schools to reproduce. It does not provide a causal evaluation of specific curricula or interventions.
The findings also cover different student groups and measures, so they should not be read as a single ranking of Missouri schools. The report sets a minimum of 20 low-income test-takers for one comparison; the supplied material does not specify equivalent sample thresholds for every other group. It is also unclear from the analysis how the named schools’ results may change in later testing years.
Classroom Visits Could Follow
The 74’s report points to school visits, interviews with teachers and principals, and reviews of curricula and reading supports as ways for policymakers to investigate the patterns. Those steps could help distinguish approaches that other schools might adapt from results tied to local circumstances.
Missouri’s literacy reforms remain in progress, so future state and school test results will show whether broader reading performance changes. The report does not set out a timeline for follow-up research or identify a formal state review of the schools. For now, the results identify places to begin asking how students are being taught and supported.
Key Questions
Which Missouri school had the strongest reported result for English learners?
McKelvey Intermediate had the highest result named in the report: 71% of its English learners scored proficient or higher on the third-grade reading test. The report said that was 30 percentage points above the statewide proficiency rate for all students.
How did students with disabilities at Lakeview Elementary perform?
Students with disabilities at Lakeview Elementary in Wentzville scored above the statewide average for all students on third-grade reading proficiency, according to The 74. The report did not give Lakeview’s exact percentage in the supplied material.
Does the analysis show what makes these schools successful?
No. The results identify schools with strong outcomes for particular student groups, but they do not establish the causes. The report recommends studying instruction, leadership and student supports to learn more.
How have Missouri’s overall reading results changed?
The report says Missouri’s average fourth-grade NAEP reading score fell 10.4 points between 2013 and 2024. It also reports that just under 42% of Missouri third-graders were proficient or higher on the state reading test in 2025.
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