Enrollment
105
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 290453000046
Bell City Elem. — Bell City, MO
Federal NCES profile for Bell City Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 58/100.
👥 Class size 67
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 78
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bell City Elem. earns a C Resource Investment Index (58/100), with class sizes smaller than 91% of Missouri schools.
- C
- Resource Index · 58/100
- 8.3:1
- small classes for Missouri
- 53.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 105
- students enrolled
School address
District: Bell City R-Ii · Missouri
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.3:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
-36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.5%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bell City Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Bell City Elem. reports 105 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 36% below the Missouri state mean of 12.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 47% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 53.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% above the Missouri average and 3% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bell City R-Ii spends $16,882 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 51.1% from local sources (property taxes), 25.8% from the state, and 23.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bell City Elem. compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Missouri state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.3:1 | ▼ 36% | 12.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.5% | ▲ 16% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 105 | top 14% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
8 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 95% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
105 larger than 10% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
53.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% 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
8.3:1
students per teacher
— 36% below state mean
Top 9% in Missouri — lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
8.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$16,882
per pupil, district-wide
— above Missouri avg of $15,248
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Overview
Enrollment 105 Top 14% in Missouri — larger than 86% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 8.3:1 -36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 53.5% +16% vs state
NCES ID 290453000046
Student demographics
White 95.2%
African American 1.9%
Hispanic or Latino 1.9%
Two or More 1.0%
Largest group: White at 95.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.6%
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bell City R-Ii, which includes Bell City Elem..
$16,882
Per student
+11%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 51.1%
State 25.8%
Federal 23.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 91
- Students per teacher
- 8.3:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Bell City Elem.
How many students attend Bell City Elem.?
Bell City Elem. has 105 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in BELL CITY, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bell City Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Bell City Elem. is 8.3:1, which is 36% lower than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 47% 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 Bell City Elem.?
53.5% of students at Bell City Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bell City Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Bell City Elem. is White at 95.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in BELL CITY, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bell City Elem.?
Bell City Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.