Enrollment
274
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · St Louis, MO
Danforth Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Danforth Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 292667001577
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Danforth Elem. earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Missouri schools.
- #40 of 47
- elementary schools in St Louis · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.1:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 98.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Danforth Elem. has class sizes larger than 92% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Danforth Elem. ranks #40 of 47 elementary schools in St Louis, MO.
School address
District: Riverview Gardens · Missouri
NCES ID 292667001577 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.9%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+115% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Danforth Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Danforth Elem.
Danforth Elem. is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in St Louis, Missouri, enrolling 274 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.1:1 is larger than about 92% of Missouri schools and 34% above the 12.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 98.9% of students qualify for free meals, 115% above the Missouri average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 274 students, its enrollment sits close to the Missouri median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 97% of the 2,313 Missouri schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 192 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #178, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (96% of enrollment) (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 274 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 50.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Riverview Gardens also operates Riverview Gardens Sr. High (1,246 students) and R. G. Central Middle (578 students) alongside Danforth 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 Danforth Elem. compares
Danforth 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 | 17.1:1 | ▲ 34% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.9% | ▲ 115% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 274 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.1:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
274
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
98.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 115% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.1:1
students per teacher
- 34% above state mean
Top 92% in Missouri - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
50.0%
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
$10,986
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 274 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.0 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 96.4%
White 1.8%
Hispanic or Latino 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 96.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.0, Danforth Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Riverview Gardens, which includes Danforth Elem..
$10,986
Per student
-15%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.1%
State 42.1%
Federal 22.7%
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 Danforth Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview Gardens Sr. High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| R. G. Central Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westview Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gibson Elem. | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Meadows Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Danforth Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,246
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 578
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 524
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 321
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
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 (~274 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Danforth Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Danforth Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Riverview Gardens'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 Danforth Elem.
How many students attend Danforth Elem.?
Danforth Elem. has 274 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in St Louis, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Danforth Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Danforth Elem. is 17.1:1, which is 34% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Danforth Elem.?
98.9% of students at Danforth Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Danforth Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Danforth Elem. is African American at 96.4% of enrollment, in St Louis, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Danforth Elem.?
Danforth Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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 Danforth Elem. rank among elementary schools in St Louis?
By Resource Investment Index, Danforth Elem. ranks #40 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 Danforth Elem. a good school?
Danforth Elem. earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% 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 Riverview Gardens?
Besides Danforth Elem., Riverview Gardens also operates Riverview Gardens Sr. High (1,246 students), R. G. Central Middle (578 students), and Westview Middle School (524 students). See the Riverview Gardens 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.