Enrollment
465
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Desoto, MO
Athena Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Athena Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 291050000347
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Athena Elem. earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Missouri schools.
- #1 of 6
- public schools in Desoto · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.6:1
- small classes for Missouri
- 37.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Athena Elem. has class sizes smaller than 77% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Athena Elem. ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Desoto, MO.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.2%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Athena Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Athena Elem.
Athena Elem. is a mid-sized elementary school in Desoto, Missouri, enrolling 465 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 37.2% lands close to the Missouri typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 465 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Among 515 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #46, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 233 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 130 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 465 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Desoto 73 also operates Desoto Sr. High (862 students) and Vineland Elem. (653 students) alongside Athena Elem..
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 Athena Elem. compares
Athena Elem. on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.6:1 | ▼ 17% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.2% | ▼ 19% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 465 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.6:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
465
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 19% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.6:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 23% in Missouri - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,806
per pupil, district-wide
- below Missouri avg of $12,931
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 233 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
79
in-school suspensions + 51 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.0 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 91.6%
Two or More 4.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.4%
African American 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 91.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.8, Athena Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Desoto 73, which includes Athena Elem..
$10,806
Per student
-16%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.8%
State 35.8%
Federal 18.4%
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 Athena Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desoto Sr. High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Vineland Elem. | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Desoto Jr. High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Early Childhood Ctr. | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Athena Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 862
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 653
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 338
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 146
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar elementary 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 (~465 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Athena Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Athena Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Desoto 73'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 Athena Elem.
How many students attend Athena Elem.?
Athena Elem. has 465 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Desoto, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Athena Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Athena Elem. is 10.6:1, which is 17% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 32% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Athena Elem.?
37.2% of students at Athena Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Athena Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Athena Elem. is White at 91.6% of enrollment, in Desoto, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Athena Elem.?
Athena Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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).
How does Athena Elem. rank among public schools in Desoto?
By Resource Investment Index, Athena Elem. ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Desoto, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Desoto on the city page.
Is Athena Elem. a good school?
Athena Elem. earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Missouri schools. 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 Desoto 73?
Besides Athena Elem., Desoto 73 also operates Desoto Sr. High (862 students), Vineland Elem. (653 students), and Desoto Jr. High (338 students). See the Desoto 73 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.