Enrollment
858
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · St Louis, MO
Bayless Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bayless Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 290450000043
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 63
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bayless Elementary earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Missouri schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #7 of 65
- schools in St Louis · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.5:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 39.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Bayless Elementary has class sizes larger than 75% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bayless Elementary ranks #7 of 65 schools in St Louis, MO.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.8%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bayless Elementary compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bayless Elementary
Bayless Elementary is a large combined-grade school in St Louis, Missouri, enrolling 858 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 39.8% lands close to the Missouri typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Missouri, bigger than 93% of state schools at 858 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 179 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #21.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and African American (11%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 286 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Bayless also operates Bayless Senior High (562 students) and Bayless Junior High (385 students) alongside Bayless Elementary.
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 Bayless Elementary compares
Bayless Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.5:1 | ▲ 13% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.8% | ▼ 14% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 858 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
858
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 75% in Missouri - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,051
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 286 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 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 63.8%
African American 10.8%
Asian 10.7%
Two or More 8.3%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 63.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.9, Bayless Elementary is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bayless, which includes Bayless Elementary.
$11,051
Per student
-15%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.1%
State 30.5%
Federal 12.4%
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 Bayless Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayless Senior High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bayless Junior High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bayless Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 385
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
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 (~858 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bayless Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bayless Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Bayless'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 Bayless Elementary
How many students attend Bayless Elementary?
Bayless Elementary has 858 students enrolled. It is a public school in St Louis, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bayless Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bayless Elementary is 14.5:1, which is 13% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bayless Elementary?
39.8% of students at Bayless Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bayless Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bayless Elementary is White at 63.8% of enrollment, in St Louis, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bayless Elementary?
Bayless Elementary 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).
How does Bayless Elementary rank among schools in St Louis?
By Resource Investment Index, Bayless Elementary ranks #7 of 65 schools in St Louis, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in St Louis on the city page.
Is Bayless Elementary a good school?
Bayless Elementary earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Missouri schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Bayless?
Besides Bayless Elementary, Bayless also operates Bayless Senior High (562 students) and Bayless Junior High (385 students). See the Bayless 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.