Enrollment
445
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 290837002492
Dardenne Elem. — O'Fallon, MO
Federal NCES profile for Dardenne Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 59
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
📋 Attendance 51
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 →
The verdict
Dardenne Elem. earns a D Resource Investment Index (48/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 82% of Missouri schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 48/100
- 10.3:1
- small classes for Missouri
- 39.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 445
- students enrolled
School address
District: Ft. Zumwalt R-Ii · 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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.1%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dardenne 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
Dardenne Elem. reports 445 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% below the Missouri state mean of 12.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 35% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 15% below the Missouri average and 25% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 445 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ft. Zumwalt R-Ii spends $13,917 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 65.1% from local sources (property taxes), 26.3% from the state, and 8.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), 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 Dardenne 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 | 10.3:1 | ▼ 20% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.1% | ▼ 15% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 445 | top 73% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
10 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 89% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
445 larger than 54% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
39.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 15% 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
10.3:1
students per teacher
— 20% below state mean
Top 18% in Missouri — lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,917
per pupil, district-wide
— below 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 445 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 445 Top 73% in Missouri — larger than 27% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 10.3:1 -20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.1% -15% vs state
NCES ID 290837002492
Student demographics
White 58.7%
Hispanic or Latino 21.8%
Two or More 8.5%
African American 4.9%
Asian 4.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.8%
Largest group: White at 58.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 445:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.6%
In-school suspensions 23
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ft. Zumwalt R-Ii, which includes Dardenne Elem..
$13,917
Per student
-9%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 65.1%
State 26.3%
Federal 8.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,643
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,538
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,212
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,171
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,114
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
Similar elementary schools in O'Fallon
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Prairie View Elem.
Standard public school
696 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Discovery Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
590 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Westhoff Elem.
Standard public school
534 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Twin Chimneys Elem.
Standard public school
488 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Mount Hope Elem.
Standard public school
444 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Forest Park Elem.
Standard public school
436 students 10.9:1 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 Dardenne Elem.
How many students attend Dardenne Elem.?
Dardenne Elem. has 445 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in O'FALLON, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dardenne Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Dardenne Elem. is 10.3:1, which is 20% lower than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 35% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dardenne Elem.?
39.1% of students at Dardenne Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dardenne Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Dardenne Elem. is White at 58.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in O'FALLON, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dardenne Elem.?
Dardenne Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.