MALDEN LOWER ELEM.

Set in MALDEN, Missouri, MALDEN LOWER ELEM. is a medium-sized elementary campus, run under MALDEN R-I. It hosts 424 students across grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 35% larger than the state mean of about 315.

Across the 2 schools in MALDEN R-I (807 students total), MALDEN LOWER ELEM. accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, MALDEN LOWER ELEM. reports that the most-represented group is White (54%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest consists of 30% Black, 10% multiracial, 5% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 76% White, putting the school's mix meaningfully less White than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 35 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.0:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 12.4:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 100% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), MALDEN LOWER ELEM. tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 49.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 42.2%.

In the area at large, Dunklin County reports that median household earnings sit near $47,849, about 13% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 16%. Across Dunklin County's 21 public schools (combined enrollment of about 4,864 students), MALDEN LOWER ELEM. is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: MALDEN HIGH, around 0.0 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), MALDEN LOWER ELEM. ranks 7th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 53.2%.

Geographically, the school is in an outlying area.

Trend over the last 7 years. MALDEN LOWER ELEM.'s enrollment has decreased 28% since 2018, when it stood at 593 (now 424). The White share of enrollment shrank from 67% to 54% over that span. Class-load math has pulled in: from 13.6:1 in 2018 to 12.0:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.