Enrollment
394
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 292316003177
Discovery Elementary — St. Charles, MO
Federal NCES profile for Discovery Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 49
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: Orchard Farm R-V · 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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.7%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Discovery Elementary 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
Discovery Elementary reports 394 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 42% below the Missouri average and 48% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 394 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Orchard Farm R-V spends $15,494 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.8% from local sources (property taxes), 21.7% from the state, and 9.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Discovery Elementary 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 | 13:1 | ▲ 1% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.7% | ▼ 42% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 394 | top 64% | — | — |
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
26.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 42% 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
13:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 52% in Missouri — lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
20.6%
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
$15,494
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 394 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 394 Top 64% in Missouri — larger than 36% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 13:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.7% -42% vs state
NCES ID 292316003177
Student demographics
White 60.4%
African American 20.6%
Two or More 9.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
Asian 2.8%
Largest group: White at 60.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 394:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.6%
In-school suspensions 19
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orchard Farm R-V, which includes Discovery Elementary.
$15,494
Per student
+2%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.8%
State 21.7%
Federal 9.5%
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
- 698
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 362
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 230
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
Similar elementary schools in St. Charles
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Discovery Elementary
How many students attend Discovery Elementary?
Discovery Elementary has 394 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in St. Charles, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Discovery Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Discovery Elementary is 13:1, which is 1% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Discovery Elementary?
26.7% of students at Discovery Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Discovery Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Discovery Elementary is White at 60.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in St. Charles, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Discovery Elementary?
Discovery Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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.