Enrollment
394
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · St. Charles, MO
Discovery Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Discovery Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 292316003177
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Discovery Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in St. Charles · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.3:1
- students per teacher
- 26.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Discovery Elementary has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Discovery Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in St. Charles, MO.
School address
District: Orchard Farm R-V · Missouri
NCES ID 292316003177 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-4% 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
What stands out at Discovery Elementary
Discovery Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in St. Charles, Missouri, enrolling 394 students.
At 12.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Missouri median, within a few percentage points of the 12.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 26.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 394 students, its enrollment sits close to the Missouri median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 473 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #253.
Its student body is led by White (60%) and African American (21%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 394 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among St. Charles's elementary schools, it stands alongside Orchard Farm Elementary (557 students): Discovery Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.3:1 vs 13.6:1).
Orchard Farm R-V also operates Orchard Farm High School (698 students) and Orchard Farm Elementary (557 students) alongside Discovery 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 Discovery Elementary compares
Discovery 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 | 12.3:1 | ▼ 4% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.7% | ▼ 42% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 394 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
394
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 44% in Missouri - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.6%
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
$12,909
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 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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 57.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.8, Discovery Elementary is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orchard Farm R-V, which includes Discovery Elementary.
$12,909
Per student
0%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Discovery Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orchard Farm High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Orchard Farm Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Orchard Farm Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Early Learning Center | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Discovery Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 698
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 362
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 230
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar elementary schools in St. Charles
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~394 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Discovery Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Discovery Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Orchard Farm R-V'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 Discovery Elementary
How many students attend Discovery Elementary?
Discovery Elementary has 394 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in St. Charles, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Discovery Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Discovery Elementary is 12.3:1, which is 4% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 22% 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 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% of enrollment, in St. Charles, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Discovery Elementary?
Discovery Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Discovery Elementary rank among public schools in St. Charles?
By Resource Investment Index, Discovery Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in St. Charles, 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 St. Charles on the city page.
Is Discovery Elementary a good school?
Discovery Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Orchard Farm R-V?
Besides Discovery Elementary, Orchard Farm R-V also operates Orchard Farm High School (698 students), Orchard Farm Elementary (557 students), and Orchard Farm Middle School (362 students). See the Orchard Farm R-V 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.