Is Clarence Lawson Elementary a good school?

Clarence Lawson Elementary ranks 220 th of 906 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Clarence Lawson Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 442 students attended Clarence Lawson Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Clarence Lawson Elementary?

Students at Clarence Lawson Elementary are 58% White, 18% African American, 10% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic, 5% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Clarence Lawson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Clarence Lawson Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Thomas Jefferson Middle High : Jefferson City High

Clarence Lawson Elementary

Summary:

Clarence Lawson Elementary is a public elementary school in Jefferson City, Missouri, serving 419 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Jefferson City School District, which is ranked 153 out of 386 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating.

Clarence Lawson Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state averages in mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency, particularly for its African American and low-income student subgroups. The school's 3rd-grade mathematics proficiency was 53.8% in 2023-2024, compared to 32.1% for Jefferson City and 40.8% for Missouri. Its 4th-grade ELA proficiency was 66.1%, compared to 48.3% for the district and 46.2% for the state. Additionally, the school has seen a significant decrease in chronic absenteeism, from 26.6% in 2021-2022 to 14.2% in 2023-2024, which is lower than the district and state averages.

While Clarence Lawson Elementary outperforms nearby schools in the Jefferson City School District, such as East Elementary, South Elementary, and Thorpe J. Gordon Elementary, the nearby Belair Elementary and West Elementary schools also demonstrate strong academic performance. Overall, Clarence Lawson Elementary stands out as a high-performing school within the district, with effective support for its economically disadvantaged students.

Detail:

Public K-5

1105 Fairgrounds Rd
Jefferson City, MO 65109-5443

(573) 659-3175

District: Jefferson City

SchoolDigger Rank:
220^th of 906 Missouri Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,283

Students who attend Clarence Lawson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Thomas Jefferson Middle
High:	Jefferson City High

Student/teacher ratio: 11.7

Number of students: 442

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.7%

African American:

18.3%

Two or more races:

10.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 50.2%

See top rated Missouri elementary schools

Compare Clarence Lawson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Clarence Lawson Elementary ranks better than 75.7% of elementary schools in Missouri. It also ranks first among 11 ranked elementary schools in the Jefferson City School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 72.96. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (57.7%), African American (18.3%), two or more races (10%). (See more...)

Compare Details 50.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Clarence Lawson Elementary is 11.7. 7 elementary schools in the Jefferson City School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Clarence Lawson Elementary employs 37.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Clarence Lawson Elementary is $13,283, which is the highest among 12 elementary schools in the Jefferson City School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Clarence Lawson Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Clarence Lawson Elementary 220^th of 906 Missouri public elementary schools. (See Clarence Lawson Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

White students:

Jefferson City:

SchoolDigger ranks Jefferson City 153^rd of 386 Missouri school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Clarence Lawson Elementary?

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Rank History for Clarence Lawson Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Clarence Lawson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MO State Percentile
2006	68.55	253^rd	1074	76.4%
2007	63.08	330^th	1080	69.4%
2008	45.36	657^th	1084	39.4%
2009	68.18	280^th	1053	73.4%
2010	69.68	283^rd	1066	73.5%
2011	69.54	277^th	1088	74.5%
2012	64.73	377^th	1085	65.3%
2013	73.06	234^th	1108	78.9%
2014	58.03	441^st	1089	59.5%
2015	57.60	452^nd	1058	57.3%
2016	48.85	478^th	865	44.7%
2017	53.83	483^rd	1032	53.2%
2018	67.49	315^th	1045	69.9%
2019	60.63	392^nd	1052	62.7%
2021	63.71	323^rd	901	64.2%
2022	66.66	281^st	908	69.1%
2023	63.50	317^th	898	64.7%
2024	72.96	220^th	906	75.7%

See the entire list of Missouri Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Clarence Lawson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	41.46	63^rd	101	37.6%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Clarence Lawson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MO State Percentile
2018	54.52	378^th	887	57.4%
2019	55.42	355^th	907	60.9%
2021	67.07	114^th	574	80.1%
2022	81.25	54^th	532	89.8%
2023	72.55	99^th	611	83.8%
2024	78.46	70^th	625	88.8%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for African American students at Clarence Lawson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	67.97	55^th	250	78.0%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at Clarence Lawson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MO State Percentile
2018	66.81	264^th	898	70.6%
2019	67.29	253^rd	917	72.4%
2021	50.82	330^th	691	52.2%
2022	63.14	232^nd	675	65.6%
2023	55.40	297^th	673	55.9%
2024	63.30	225^th	668	66.3%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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Enrollment information for Clarence Lawson Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	520	520
1992	476	44	3	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	527
1993	486	43	2	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	531
1994	430	34	4	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	468
1995	395	36	4	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	438
1996	395	36	4	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	438
1997	409	41	2	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	457
1998	427	51	7	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	489
1999	385	49	14	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	455
2000	371	56	15	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	456
2001	378	77	10	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	479
2002	364	80	19	18	0	n/a	n/a	0	481
2003	364	80	19	18	0	n/a	n/a	0	481
2004	293	91	15	15	1	n/a	n/a	0	415
2005	300	101	11	12	1	n/a	n/a	0	425
2006	266	102	11	17	2	n/a	n/a	0	398
2007	285	111	7	17	2	n/a	n/a	0	422
2008	284	115	7	15	2	n/a	n/a	0	423
2009	292	119	12	23	3	n/a	n/a	0	449
2010	357	131	9	31	3	n/a	n/a	0	531
2011	416	111	7	34	2	0	40	0	610
2012	354	96	5	39	2	0	33	0	529
2013	375	87	11	32	3	0	31	0	539
2014	385	98	11	32	3	1	33	0	563
2015	370	101	17	38	1	0	43	0	570
2016	327	90	11	34	0	0	41	0	503
2017	263	91	14	34	0	0	43	0	445
2018	301	76	19	34	0	0	39	0	469
2019	307	88	14	33	1	0	45	0	488
2020	303	94	12	34	0	0	45	0	488
2021	271	76	12	43	0	0	46	0	448
2022	254	70	14	37	0	0	47	0	422
2023	245	70	18	39	0	0	47	0	419
2024	255	81	20	42	0	0	44	0	442

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Clarence Lawson Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	520	24.1	21.5	6.7
1992	527	24.9	21.1	7.2
1993	531	28.2	18.8	13.6
1994	468	28.0	16.7	11.1
1995	438	29.1	15.1	22.8
1996	438	29.1	15.1	22.8
1997	457	27.6	16.6	9.8
1998	489	28.9	16.9	8.8
1999	455	29.2	15.6	19.6
2000	456	29.7	15.4	24.1
2001	479	31.2	15.4	22.3
2002	481	33.5	14.4	31.6
2003	481	33.5	14.4	31.6
2004	415	36.5	11.4	39.5
2005	425	38.6	11.0	40.9
2006	398	38.6	10.3	41.7
2007	422	36.0	11.7	38.2
2008	423	36.5	11.6	36.6
2009	449	36.7	12.2	38.5
2010	531	38.8	13.6	35.8
2011	610	39.4	15.4	32.6
2012	529	28.4	18.5	44.8
2013	539	28.7	18.7	44.3
2014	563	28.7	19.5	41.6
2015	570	31.0	18.3	40.5
2016	503	31.0	16.2	50.5
2017	445	31.7	14.0	58
2018	469	34.0	13.7	55
2019	488	36.4	13.3	57.4
2020	488	35.6	13.6	53.9
2021	448	39.1	11.4	55.4
2022	422	38.1	11.0	47.6
2023	419	37.1	11.2	53.2
2024	442	37.4	11.7	50.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Clarence Lawson Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	520	24.1	21.5	6.7
1992	527	24.9	21.1	7.2
1993	531	28.2	18.8	13.6
1994	468	28.0	16.7	11.1
1995	438	29.1	15.1	22.8
1996	438	29.1	15.1	22.8
1997	457	27.6	16.6	9.8
1998	489	28.9	16.9	8.8
1999	455	29.2	15.6	19.6
2000	456	29.7	15.4	24.1
2001	479	31.2	15.4	22.3
2002	481	33.5	14.4	31.6
2003	481	33.5	14.4	31.6
2004	415	36.5	11.4	39.5
2005	425	38.6	11.0	40.9
2006	398	38.6	10.3	41.7
2007	422	36.0	11.7	38.2
2008	423	36.5	11.6	36.6
2009	449	36.7	12.2	38.5
2010	531	38.8	13.6	35.8
2011	610	39.4	15.4	32.6
2012	529	28.4	18.5	44.8
2013	539	28.7	18.7	44.3
2014	563	28.7	19.5	41.6
2015	570	31.0	18.3	40.5
2016	503	31.0	16.2	50.5
2017	445	31.7	14.0	58
2018	469	34.0	13.7	55
2019	488	36.4	13.3	57.4
2020	488	35.6	13.6	53.9
2021	448	39.1	11.4	55.4
2022	422	38.1	11.0	47.6
2023	419	37.1	11.2	53.2
2024	442	37.4	11.7	50.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Clarence Lawson Elementary

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$845 (7.1%)	$11,116 (92.9%)	$11,960
2020	$802 (7.5%)	$9,821 (92.4%)	$10,624
2021	$1,158 (9.2%)	$11,486 (90.8%)	$12,644
2022	$1,396 (10.5%)	$11,887 (89.5%)	$13,283

Data source: Missouri Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Clarence Lawson Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 392^nd of 1052 Elementary schools	Ranks 317^th of 898 Elementary schools	2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Clarence Lawson Elementary)	58.7	73.8	15.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Jefferson City)	36.7	41.4	4.7%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Missouri)	46	41.1	4.9%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Clarence Lawson Elementary)	60	61.5	1.5%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Jefferson City)	42.7	47.7	5%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Missouri)	48.7	42.4	6.3%
4th Grade Mathematics (Clarence Lawson Elementary)	53	52.1	0.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Jefferson City)	36.5	35.8	0.7%
4th Grade Mathematics (Missouri)	46.8	43.8	3%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Clarence Lawson Elementary)	54.2	58.9	4.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Jefferson City)	43.6	41.1	2.5%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Missouri)	49.3	45.9	3.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (Clarence Lawson Elementary)	24.4	29.6	5.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Jefferson City)	28.7	26.8	1.9%
5th Grade Mathematics (Missouri)	40.3	39.1	1.2%
5th Grade Science (Clarence Lawson Elementary)	44.9	28.1	16.8%
5th Grade Science (Jefferson City)	36.1	37.1	1%
5th Grade Science (Missouri)	42.5	40.9	1.6%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Clarence Lawson Elementary)	55.1	40.8	14.3%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Jefferson City)	43.7	42.2	1.5%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Missouri)	47.1	44.1	3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	488	419	14.1%
African American	88	70	20.5%
American Indian	1	0	100%
Asian	14	18	28.6%
Hispanic	33	39	18.2%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	307	245	20.2%
Two or More Races	45	47	4.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	57.4%	53.2%	4.2%

Schools Near Clarence Lawson Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MAP Mathematics (2024)			MAP Science (2024)	MAP English Language Arts (2024)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAP Science 5th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Clarence Lawson Elementary	Public	K-5	1105 Fairgrounds Rd	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3175	442	37	11.7	50.2%	255 (57.7%)	81 (18.3%)	42 (9.5%)	20 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (10.0%)	73	220^th of 906 public elementary schools	75.7%		63.5	317^th of 898 public elementary schools	64.7%	97	53.8	63.0	37.8	41.7	53.1	66.1	53.8	$13,283	$1,396	$11,887
Pioneer Trail Elementary	Public	K-5	301 Pioneer Trail	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 632-3400	448	36	12.5	50.9%	329 (73.4%)	35 (7.8%)	28 (6.3%)	5 (1.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (10.7%)	52.7	422^nd of 906 public elementary schools	53.4%		57.6	378^th of 898 public elementary schools	57.9%	44	24.5	32.0	40.1	54.2	38.5	45.3	47.8	$10,663	$477	$10,187
Cedar Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	1510 Vieth	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3160	326	30	10.8	43.6%	222 (68.1%)	32 (9.8%)	23 (7.1%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (14.1%)	41.7	544^th of 906 public elementary schools	40.0%		51.8	436^th of 898 public elementary schools	51.4%	108	19.3	50.9	29.6	42.1	32.8		35.8	$12,097	$267	$11,829
Belair Elementary	Public	K-5	701 Belair	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3155	362	28	12.8	53.9%	223 (61.6%)	60 (16.6%)	45 (12.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (9.4%)	60.8	343^rd of 906 public elementary schools	62.1%		60.8	344^th of 898 public elementary schools	61.7%	1	39.1	57.8	28.9	46.6	43.7	55.3	49.9	$10,418	$535	$9,883
West Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Dix Rd	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3195	339	25	13.3	52.8%	218 (64.3%)	55 (16.2%)	18 (5.3%)	10 (2.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (10.6%)	61.1	339^th of 906 public elementary schools	62.6%		58	376^th of 898 public elementary schools	58.1%	37	32.6	62.6	39.9	39.9	49.0		46.6	$11,954	$313	$11,640
South Elementary	Public	K-5	707 Linden Dr	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3185	321	28	11.3	99.4%	118 (36.8%)	131 (40.8%)	17 (5.3%)	18 (5.6%)	4 (1.2%)	1 (0.3%)	32 (10.0%)	44.6	512^th of 906 public elementary schools	43.5%		34.6	613^th of 898 public elementary schools	31.7%	101	30.7	30.0	38.9	41.3	36.4		38.9	$12,068	$415	$11,654
Southwest Early Childhood Center	Public	PK	812 St Mary's Blvd	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	No	(573) 659-3190	283	29	9.7	60.4%	144 (50.9%)	69 (24.4%)	29 (10.2%)	7 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	33 (11.7%)								(n/a)
Thorpe J. Gordon Elementary	Public	K-5	1101 Jackson	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3170	297	31	9.4	99.7%	101 (34.0%)	133 (44.8%)	26 (8.8%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (11.8%)	43.4	525^th of 906 public elementary schools	42.1%		34.5	616^th of 898 public elementary schools	31.4%	91	34.5	35.7	14.7		42.3	48.0	41.3	$11,935	$487	$11,448
Mocap Elem.School	Public, Virtual	K-5	205 Jefferson Street	Jefferson City	65102	Cole County	Mo Virtual Instruction Program	No	No	Yes	No	(573) 751-2453	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Moreau Heights Elementary	Public	K-5	1410 Hough Park	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3180	298	33	8.9	60.1%	170 (57.0%)	69 (23.2%)	14 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	42 (14.1%)	41.5	548^th of 906 public elementary schools	39.5%		30.4	657^th of 898 public elementary schools	26.8%	109	12.3	38.8	29.8	44.3	28.7	40.7	48.1	$13,106	$777	$12,328

Clarence Lawson Elementary

Clarence Lawson Elementary:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Jefferson City:

What do you think?

Rank History for Clarence Lawson Elementary

Rank History for all students at Clarence Lawson Elementary

Rank History for Special Education students at Clarence Lawson Elementary

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Clarence Lawson Elementary

Rank History for African American students at Clarence Lawson Elementary

Rank History for White students at Clarence Lawson Elementary

Enrollment information for Clarence Lawson Elementary

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Clarence Lawson Elementary

Student/Teacher Ratio Clarence Lawson Elementary

Per Pupil Expenditures for Clarence Lawson Elementary

Impact of COVID-19 on Clarence Lawson Elementary

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Clarence Lawson Elementary