Enrollment
283
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 292928001906
Cole Elem. — St Louis, MO
Federal NCES profile for Cole Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 0
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 →
School address
District: St. Louis City · 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.1%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+115% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cole 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
Cole Elem. reports 283 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the Missouri state mean of 12.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 99.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 115% above the Missouri average and 91% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 283 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 51.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding St. Louis City spends $19,285 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 78.0% from local sources (property taxes), 5.8% from the state, and 16.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Cole 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 | 13.6:1 | ▲ 5% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.1% | ▲ 115% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 283 | top 44% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
99.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 115% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 62% in Missouri — lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
51.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,285
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.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 283 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 283 Top 44% in Missouri — larger than 56% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 13.6:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 99.1% +115% vs state
NCES ID 292928001906
Student demographics
African American 98.6%
Hispanic or Latino 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: African American at 98.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 283:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 51.9%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 24
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Louis City, which includes Cole Elem..
$19,285
Per student
+26%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 78.0%
State 5.8%
Federal 16.2%
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
- 860
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Enrollment
- 734
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 610
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 472
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
Similar other schools in St Louis
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Premier Charter School
Standard public school
974 students 8.7:1 students per teacher
Bayless Elementary
Standard public school
858 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
South City
Standard public school
838 students 12.1:1 students per teacher
Mesnier Primary Sch.
Standard public school
741 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Mckinley Class. Leadership Ac.
Standard public school
610 students 14:1 students per teacher
St Louis Lang Immersion School
Standard public school
493 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
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 Cole Elem.
How many students attend Cole Elem.?
Cole Elem. has 283 students enrolled. It is a other school in ST LOUIS, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cole Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Cole Elem. is 13.6:1, which is 5% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cole Elem.?
99.1% of students at Cole Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cole Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Cole Elem. is African American at 98.6%. The school serves a student body in ST LOUIS, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cole Elem.?
Cole Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.