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Schools›Missouri›WEST PLAINS
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WEST PLAINS R-VII·NCES 293168002217

SOUTH FORK ELEM.

3209 US HWY 160, WEST PLAINS, MO 65775 · (417) 256-2836 · Howell County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL196 STUDENTS
Enrollment
196
Elementary
DISTRICT 482 · STATE 315
Student : Teacher
12.7:1
15 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.4:1 · STATE 12.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
59%
115 students
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 54%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Pre-K
20
Kindergarten
19
Grade 1
36
Grade 2
30
Grade 3
19
Grade 4
22
Grade 5
26
Grade 6
24
Student demographics
White
18996%
DISTRICT 91% · STATE 67%
Hispanic
32%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 9%
Asian
11%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 2%
Two+
32%
DISTRICT 3% · STATE 6%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
9850%
Female
9850%

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Test scores

MO DVT (Growth) 2024-25 . Growth Percentile vs Peers
English Language Arts
79.5%
MO avg 49.5% . +29.5pp since 2023
Math
38.1%
MO avg 48.7% . +17.0pp since 2023

What this means: On the MO DVT (Growth), Missouri's statewide test, about 80 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 38 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Missouri schools, those numbers are about 50 and 49. Reading and writing scores are up about 30 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 17 points.

Source: MO DVT (Growth). All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
57.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.2%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.8pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 58% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 50% 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 →

7-year change

SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
196
+17 (+9%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
12.7:1
was 13.9:1
% White
96%
was 99%
% Hispanic
2%
was 1%
% Black
0%
was 1%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

About SOUTH FORK ELEM.

SOUTH FORK ELEM. operates as a modestly sized K-5 school in WEST PLAINS, Missouri, run under WEST PLAINS R-VII. Current enrollment sits at 196 students spanning grades pre-K through 6. By comparison, Missouri's public schools average about 315 students each, so SOUTH FORK ELEM. sits 38% below that benchmark.

WEST PLAINS R-VII runs 4 schools in total, collectively educating 2,626 students. SOUTH FORK ELEM. is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, SOUTH FORK ELEM. logs that nearly all students (96%) are White.

On the resource side, On paper, SOUTH FORK ELEM. has 15 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.7:1. The state averages about 12.4:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 59% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

With demographic context factored in, SOUTH FORK ELEM. tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 50.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 57.9%.

Around the school, census data for Howell County shows median household earnings sit near $50,993, roughly 18% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 15%. Across Howell County's 15 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,704 students), SOUTH FORK ELEM. is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is FAIRVIEW ELEM., roughly 6.5 miles away. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. On composite proficiency, SOUTH FORK ELEM. comes 3rd of 8 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 51.6%.

The campus sits in an outlying setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count grew 9%: 179 students in 2018 compared to 196 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 13.9:1 in 2018 to 12.7:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.

Howell County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
40,383
Census ACS
Median income
$50,993
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
15
5,704 students

Quick facts

School name
SOUTH FORK ELEM.
District
WEST PLAINS R-VII
Address
3209 US HWY 160, WEST PLAINS, MO 65775
Phone
(417) 256-2836
County
Howell County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–06
Total enrollment
196
Teachers (FTE)
15
Student–teacher ratio
12.7:1
Free/Reduced lunch
115 (59%)
Locale
42-Rural: Distant
NCES ID
293168002217
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in WEST PLAINS R-VII
Other schools in WEST PLAINS
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About SOUTH FORK ELEM.
What is the total enrollment at SOUTH FORK ELEM.?
SOUTH FORK ELEM. enrolls approximately 196 students in grades PK-06.
Is SOUTH FORK ELEM. an elementary, middle, or high school?
SOUTH FORK ELEM. is an elementary school covering grades PK-06.
How many teachers does SOUTH FORK ELEM. have?
SOUTH FORK ELEM. employs 15 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.7:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at SOUTH FORK ELEM.?
At SOUTH FORK ELEM., the student body is approximately 96% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Is SOUTH FORK ELEM. public or private?
SOUTH FORK ELEM. is a public K-12 school, overseen by WEST PLAINS R-VII.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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