Enrollment
357
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Independence, MO
Blue Hills Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Blue Hills Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 291229000489
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 63
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Blue Hills Elem. earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Missouri schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #3 of 6
- elementary schools in Independence · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.5:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 31.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Blue Hills Elem. has class sizes larger than 84% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Blue Hills Elem. ranks #3 of 6 elementary schools in Independence, MO.
School address
District: Fort Osage R-I · Missouri
NCES ID 291229000489 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.5%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Blue Hills Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Blue Hills Elem.
Blue Hills Elem. is a mid-sized elementary school in Independence, Missouri, enrolling 357 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 31.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 357 students, its enrollment sits close to the Missouri median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 520 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #219.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 357 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
14.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 15.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Fort Osage R-I also operates Fort Osage High (1,545 students) and Fire Prairie Middle (713 students) alongside Blue Hills 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 Blue Hills Elem. compares
Blue Hills 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 | 15.5:1 | ▲ 21% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.5% | ▼ 32% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 357 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
357
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% 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
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 84% in Missouri - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.8%
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
$11,979
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 357 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 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 62.2%
Hispanic or Latino 16.0%
Two or More 11.2%
African American 7.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.5%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 62.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.9, Blue Hills Elem. is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Osage R-I, which includes Blue Hills Elem..
$11,979
Per student
-7%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.4%
State 37.1%
Federal 15.6%
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 Blue Hills Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Osage High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fire Prairie Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Osage Trail Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Indian Trails Elem. | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Buckner Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Blue Hills Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,545
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 713
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 675
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 365
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 327
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
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 (~357 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Blue Hills Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Blue Hills Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Fort Osage R-I'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 Blue Hills Elem.
How many students attend Blue Hills Elem.?
Blue Hills Elem. has 357 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Independence, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Blue Hills Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Blue Hills Elem. is 15.5:1, which is 21% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Blue Hills Elem.?
31.5% of students at Blue Hills Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Blue Hills Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Blue Hills Elem. is White at 62.2% of enrollment, in Independence, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Blue Hills Elem.?
Blue Hills Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Blue Hills Elem. rank among elementary schools in Independence?
By Resource Investment Index, Blue Hills Elem. ranks #3 of 6 elementary schools in Independence, 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 Independence on the city page.
Is Blue Hills Elem. a good school?
Blue Hills Elem. earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% 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 Fort Osage R-I?
Besides Blue Hills Elem., Fort Osage R-I also operates Fort Osage High (1,545 students), Fire Prairie Middle (713 students), and Osage Trail Middle (675 students). See the Fort Osage R-I 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.