Enrollment
35
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lesterville, MO
Alternative School
Federal NCES profile for Alternative School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 291845002667
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 93
📋 Attendance 93
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alternative School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Missouri schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Missouri.
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 35:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 85.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 35
- students enrolled
Alternative School has class sizes larger than 99% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Lesterville R-Iv · Missouri
NCES ID 291845002667 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
35:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+173% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.4%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+85% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alternative School compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Alternative School
Alternative School is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Lesterville, Missouri, enrolling 35 students.
Class loads run heavy: 35:1 is larger than about 99% of Missouri schools and 173% above the 12.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 85.4% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 96% of Missouri schools, with 35 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 32 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #13.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 35 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 2.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Lesterville R-Iv spends $19,223 per pupil, 49% above the Missouri average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 22.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 28 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 35 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Lesterville R-Iv also operates Lesterville High School (70 students) and Lesterville Elementary (68 students) alongside Alternative School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Alternative School compares
Alternative School on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 35:1 | ▲ 173% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.4% | ▲ 85% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 35 | top 96% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
35:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
35
Bigger than 4% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 85% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
35:1
students per teacher
- 173% above state mean
Top 99% in Missouri - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
2.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$19,223
per pupil, district-wide
- above Missouri avg of $12,931
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 35 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 23 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 80.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 71.4%
African American 17.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.9%
Largest group: White at 71.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.3, Alternative School is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lesterville R-Iv, which includes Alternative School.
$19,223
Per student
+49%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
+16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.6%
State 22.0%
Federal 22.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Alternative School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lesterville High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lesterville Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Alternative School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 70
- Students per teacher
- 5.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 68
- Students per teacher
- 6.8:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Missouri, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~35 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alternative School's federal record.
- Compare Alternative School against another school. Compare schools
- Lesterville R-Iv's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Alternative School
How many students attend Alternative School?
Alternative School has 35 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lesterville, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alternative School?
The student-teacher ratio at Alternative School is 35:1, which is 173% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 123% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alternative School?
85.4% of students at Alternative School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alternative School?
The largest demographic group at Alternative School is White at 71.4% of enrollment, in Lesterville, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alternative School?
Alternative School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Alternative School a good school?
Alternative School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Missouri schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Missouri. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Lesterville R-Iv?
Besides Alternative School, Lesterville R-Iv also operates Lesterville High School (70 students) and Lesterville Elementary (68 students). See the Lesterville R-Iv district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.