Enrollment
442
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · St Louis, MO
Blades Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Blades Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 292067001112
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Blades Elem. earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Missouri schools.
- #29 of 47
- elementary schools in St Louis · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.3:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 22.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Blades Elem. has class sizes larger than 73% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Blades Elem. ranks #29 of 47 elementary schools in St Louis, MO.
School address
District: Mehlville R-Ix · Missouri
NCES ID 292067001112 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.6%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Blades Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Blades Elem.
Blades Elem. is a mid-sized elementary school in St Louis, Missouri, enrolling 442 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 22.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 442 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 445 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #311.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 442 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Mehlville R-Ix also operates Oakville Sr. High (1,847 students) and Mehlville High School (1,388 students) alongside Blades 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 Blades Elem. compares
Blades 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 | 14.3:1 | ▲ 12% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.6% | ▼ 51% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 442 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
442
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 73% in Missouri - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,295
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 442 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.2 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 80.8%
African American 7.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
Two or More 3.8%
Asian 2.7%
Largest group: White at 80.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.7, Blades Elem. is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mehlville R-Ix, which includes Blades Elem..
$11,295
Per student
-13%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.7%
State 15.9%
Federal 9.4%
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 Blades Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakville Sr. High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mehlville High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oakville Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bernard Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Margaret Buerkle Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Blades Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,847
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,388
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 629
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 577
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 549
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
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 (~442 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Blades Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Blades Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Mehlville R-Ix'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 Blades Elem.
How many students attend Blades Elem.?
Blades Elem. has 442 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in St Louis, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Blades Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Blades Elem. is 14.3:1, which is 12% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Blades Elem.?
22.6% of students at Blades Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Blades Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Blades Elem. is White at 80.8% of enrollment, in St Louis, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Blades Elem.?
Blades Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical 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 Blades Elem. rank among elementary schools in St Louis?
By Resource Investment Index, Blades Elem. ranks #29 of 47 elementary 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 elementary schools in St Louis on the city page.
Is Blades Elem. a good school?
Blades Elem. earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% 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 Mehlville R-Ix?
Besides Blades Elem., Mehlville R-Ix also operates Oakville Sr. High (1,847 students), Mehlville High School (1,388 students), and Oakville Middle (629 students). See the Mehlville R-Ix 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.