Enrollment
141
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Charleston, MO
Charleston Upper Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Charleston Upper Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 290867001780
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 72
📋 Attendance 4
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Charleston Upper Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Charleston · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.8:1
- students per teacher
- 92.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Charleston Upper Elementary has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Charleston Upper Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Charleston, MO.
School address
District: Charleston R-I · Missouri
NCES ID 290867001780 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.2%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+100% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Charleston Upper Elementary compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Charleston Upper Elementary
Charleston Upper Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Charleston, Missouri, enrolling 141 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 92.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 141 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 74 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #48.
Its student body is led by African American (65%) and White (24%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 141 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 32.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 141 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 141 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Charleston R-I also operates Charleston High (310 students) and Warren E. Hearnes Elem. (276 students) alongside Charleston Upper 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 Charleston Upper Elementary compares
Charleston Upper 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 8% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.2% | ▲ 100% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 141 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
141
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
92.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 100% 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
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 38% in Missouri - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
38.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,715
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 141 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
71
in-school suspensions + 70 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 50.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 100.0 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
African American 65.2%
White 24.1%
Two or More 8.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
Largest group: African American at 65.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.9, Charleston Upper Elementary is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charleston R-I, which includes Charleston Upper Elementary.
$11,715
Per student
-9%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.7%
State 28.0%
Federal 32.3%
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 Charleston Upper Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Warren E. Hearnes Elem. | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Charleston Upper Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 310
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 276
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
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 (~141 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Charleston Upper Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Charleston Upper Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Charleston 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 Charleston Upper Elementary
How many students attend Charleston Upper Elementary?
Charleston Upper Elementary has 141 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Charleston, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Charleston Upper Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Charleston Upper Elementary is 11.8:1, which is 8% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 25% 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 Charleston Upper Elementary?
92.2% of students at Charleston Upper Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Charleston Upper Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Charleston Upper Elementary is African American at 65.2% of enrollment, in Charleston, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Charleston Upper Elementary?
Charleston Upper Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Charleston Upper Elementary rank among public schools in Charleston?
By Resource Investment Index, Charleston Upper Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Charleston, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Charleston on the city page.
Is Charleston Upper Elementary a good school?
Charleston Upper Elementary earns 40/100 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 Charleston R-I?
Besides Charleston Upper Elementary, Charleston R-I also operates Charleston High (310 students) and Warren E. Hearnes Elem. (276 students). See the Charleston 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.