Enrollment
327
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Independence, MO
Buckner Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Buckner 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 291229000490
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buckner Elem. earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- #1 of 6
- elementary schools in Independence · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.1:1
- students per teacher
- 38.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Buckner Elem. has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Buckner Elem. ranks #1 of 6 elementary schools in Independence, MO.
School address
District: Fort Osage R-I · Missouri
NCES ID 291229000490 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.6%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buckner Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buckner Elem.
Buckner Elem. is a mid-sized elementary school in Independence, Missouri, enrolling 327 students.
At 12.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Missouri median, within a few percentage points of the 12.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 38.6% lands close to the Missouri typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 327 students, its enrollment sits close to the Missouri median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 511 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #64.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 327 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
11.0% 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 Buckner 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 Buckner Elem. compares
Buckner 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 5% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.6% | ▼ 16% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 327 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
327
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
12.1:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 42% in Missouri - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.0%
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 327 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.3 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 82.0%
Two or More 8.0%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
African American 2.4%
Largest group: White at 82.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.5, Buckner Elem. is about as mixed as 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 Buckner 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 Buckner 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 | Higher S:T ratio |
| Osage Trail Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Indian Trails Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Blue Hills Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buckner 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
- 357
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~327 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buckner Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Buckner 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 Buckner Elem.
How many students attend Buckner Elem.?
Buckner Elem. has 327 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Independence, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buckner Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Buckner Elem. is 12.1:1, which is 5% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 23% 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 Buckner Elem.?
38.6% of students at Buckner Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buckner Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Buckner Elem. is White at 82.0% of enrollment, in Independence, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buckner Elem.?
Buckner 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 Buckner Elem. rank among elementary schools in Independence?
By Resource Investment Index, Buckner Elem. ranks #1 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 Buckner Elem. a good school?
Buckner Elem. earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. 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 Buckner 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.