Three schools in the Riverview Gardens School District have received prestigious growth awards from the PRiME Center at Saint Louis University. Lemasters Elementary School, Central Middle School and Moline Elementary School were recognized for demonstrating exceptional student academic progress.
Lemasters Elementary earned recognition as the 13th highest-performing school in English Language Arts (ELA) growth among high-poverty schools in the state of Missouri. Central Middle School earned recognition as the 19th highest-performing school in English Language Arts (ELA) growth among high-poverty schools in Missouri and Moline Elementary School earned double recognition, 21st in Mathematics growth and 24th in English Language Arts (ELA) among high-poverty schools in Missouri. Rankings are based on three years of data from 2021-2022 to 2023-2024.
The PRiME Center uses advanced statistical models to measure student growth by comparing previous academic performance with current scores. Because standardized test scores often reflect factors outside a school’s control, the PRiME Center believes that student growth is a fairer measure of how well schools are doing at promoting student learning.
"This award is a reflection of the hard work, dedication, and resilience of our scholars, staff and families," said Travis L. Brown Jr., principal of Lemasters Elementary School. "We are incredibly proud to be recognized for our commitment to fostering academic growth and excellence."
The recognition comes as part of the PRiME Center's annual Growth Reports, which have identified Missouri's highest-growth schools since 2022.
School leaders from the recognized institutions were invited to attend a special convening titled "Better Data, Better Policies, Better Schools" on July 16 at the University of Missouri in Columbia. The event will bring together policymakers, researchers and high-growth schools to discuss best practices in education.
For more information about the Prime Center and its mission, please visit https://www.primecenter.org.