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Alumni: what's one memory from ATHENA ELEM. that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
465
Elementary
DISTRICT 421 · STATE 315
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DESOTO 73·NCES 291050000347
ATHENA ELEM.
3775 ATHENA SCHOOL RD, DESOTO, MO 63020 · (636) 586-1020 · Jefferson County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL465 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
10.1:1
46 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.1:1 · STATE 12.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
50%
233 students
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 54%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 68 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 61 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 63 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 70 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 66 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 72 | 15% |
| Grade 6 | 65 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (68) is about the same size as its 6th grade class (65).
Student demographics
16%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 15% · STATE 52% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within DESOTO 73. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
46.1%
MO avg 44.9% . +7.8pp since 2021
Math
54.8%
MO avg 43.8% . +12.2pp since 2021
What this means: On the MAP, Missouri's statewide test, about 46 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Missouri schools, those numbers are about 45 and 44. Reading and writing scores are up about 8 points since 2021, while math scores are up about 12 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Advanced | Proficient | Basic | Below Basic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 20.7% | 25.4% | 41.1% | 12.5% |
| Math | 26.6% | 28.2% | 27.4% | 17.6% |
Share of tested students at each MAP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
MAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 46.1% | 54.8% |
| 2023-24 | 50.8% | 56.2% |
| 2022-23 | 44.4% | 53.3% |
| 2021-22 | 38.3% | 42.6% |
% Proficient + Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
50.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
41.1%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 51% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 41% typical for Missouri schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Missouri's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like ATHENA ELEM.
ATHENA ELEM.'s state test result (50.5% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATHENA ELEM. this school | 465 | 50.1% | 50.5% |
| MAPLE GROVE ELEM. DITTMER | 425 | 51.5% | 38.8% |
| GRANDVIEW ELEM. HIGGINSVILLE | 440 | 47.5% | 28.1% |
| BOWLING GREEN ELEM. BOWLING GREEN | 472 | 47.9% | 49.3% |
| HIGHLAND ELEM. LEWISTOWN | 520 | 49.8% | 28.3% |
| SCOTT CO. ELEM. BENTON | 410 | 51.7% | 21.0% |
Matched among Missouri elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where ATHENA ELEM. ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Missouri | In Jefferson County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 50.5% | #298 of 1,002 | #15 of 27 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 54.8% | #234 of 1,019 ▼ 15 | #12 of 27 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 46.1% | #431 of 1,018 ▼ 114 | #21 of 27 ▼ 11 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +10.0pp | #106 of 943 | #6 of 27 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 465 | #218 of 1,294 | #8 of 36 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.1:1 | #51 of 950 | #1 of 32 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 15.8% | #762 of 953 | #23 of 32 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 50.1% | #642 of 1,165 | #6 of 36 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.5% | #305 of 684 | #14 of 25 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
465
-24 (-5%) vs 2020
-42% since 1990-91, when it was 808
Student : Teacher
10.1:1
was 13.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 465 | 46.1 | 10.1:1 | 50% (233) |
| 2023-24 | 477 | 45.9 | 10.4:1 | 52% (250) |
| 2022-23 | 489 | 44.2 | 11.1:1 | 45% (222) |
| 2020-21 | 489 | 36 | 13.6:1 | 52% (255) |
| 2017-18 | 544 | 43.5 | 12.5:1 | 60% (329) |
| 2015-16 | 606 | 46 | 13.2:1 | 55% (335) |
| 2010-11 | 701 | 47 | 14.9:1 | 52% (362) |
| 2000-01 | 712 | 79 | 9.0:1 | 29% (210) |
| 1990-91 | 808 | 37 | 21.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for ATHENA ELEM..
Since 2017-18: students down 15% (544 to 465); teachers up 6% (43.5 to 46.1).
About ATHENA ELEM.
ATHENA ELEM. is a medium-sized elementary school serving families in DESOTO, Missouri. Its 465 students are spread across kindergarten through 6. The typical figure for elementary schools in Missouri is about 315 students.
Enrollment across the 5 schools in DESOTO 73 totals 2,464 students.
Most students at ATHENA ELEM. are White: 92% of enrollment. Other groups make up 5% multiracial and 2% Hispanic. County-wide, about 89% of residents are White. ATHENA ELEM. has a diversity index of 16%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Its teaching staff equals 46.1 full-time positions, a ratio of 10.1:1. For comparison, elementary schools in Missouri average 12.4:1. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, a common measure of family income, is 50%. The rate at public schools in Jefferson County averages 38%, lower than here.
ATHENA ELEM.'s actual average proficiency rate on state tests (50.5%) and its predicted rate (41.1%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Missouri schools.
Jefferson County has about 229,458 residents, and median household income is about $82,851, 25% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 6% of people live in poverty. The public schools of Jefferson County number 69 and enroll about 36,216.
The school nearest to ATHENA ELEM. is DESOTO JR. HIGH, at a distance of about 5.0 miles. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within ten miles. Among the 6 closest schools with test data, this one included, ATHENA ELEM. ranks 5th on average proficiency.
The school is in rural territory close to an urban area, according to its NCES locale (Rural: Fringe).
ATHENA ELEM. saw enrollment fall 5% between 2020-21 and 2024-25. By 2024-25, the school had 10.1 students per teacher, compared with 13.6 in 2020-21.
Community posts for ATHENA ELEM. can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Jefferson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
229,458
Census ACS
Median income
$82,851
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
25%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
69
36,216 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in DESOTO 73
- DESOTO SR. HIGHHigh · 862 students
- VINELAND ELEM.Elementary · 653 students
- DESOTO JR. HIGHMiddle · 338 students
- EARLY CHILDHOOD CTR.Elementary · 146 students
Other schools in DESOTO
- DESOTO SR. HIGHHigh · 862 students
- VINELAND ELEM.Elementary · 653 students
- DESOTO JR. HIGHMiddle · 338 students
- SUNRISE ELEM.Elementary · 318 students
- EARLY CHILDHOOD CTR.Elementary · 146 students
Other ATHENA Elementary schools
One other US public school is named ATHENA Elementary. ATHENA ELEM. is the largest of the 2.
- Athena Elementary SchoolAthena, OR · 124 students
Nearby schools
- DESOTO JR. HIGH5.0 mi · 338
- VINELAND ELEM.5.1 mi · 653
- DESOTO SR. HIGH5.2 mi · 862
- EARLY CHILDHOOD CTR.5.5 mi · 146
- PLATTIN PRIMARY6.4 mi · 203
- SUNRISE ELEM.6.7 mi · 318
Frequently asked questions
About ATHENA ELEM.How many students attend ATHENA ELEM.?
ATHENA ELEM. enrolls approximately 465 students in grades KG-06.
What age range does ATHENA ELEM. serve?
ATHENA ELEM. serves students from grade KG through grade 06.
How many students per teacher at ATHENA ELEM.?
Approximately 10.1:1 students per teacher at ATHENA ELEM..
How diverse is ATHENA ELEM.?
ATHENA ELEM. reports a student body of 92% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% Black, 5% Two or more.
Is ATHENA ELEM. public or private?
ATHENA ELEM. is a public K-12 school, overseen by DESOTO 73.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.