Enrollment
343
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 292706001650
Ellison Elem. — St Joseph, MO
Federal NCES profile for Ellison Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 70
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. Joseph · 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
15.2:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.5%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ellison 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
Ellison Elem. reports 343 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 36.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% below the Missouri average and 30% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 343 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding St. Joseph spends $13,485 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 50.8% from local sources (property taxes), 30.4% from the state, and 18.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), 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 Ellison 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 | 15.2:1 | ▲ 18% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.5% | ▼ 21% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 343 | top 55% | — | — |
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
36.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 21% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 82% in Missouri — lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.0%
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
$13,485
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 343 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 343 Top 55% in Missouri — larger than 45% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 15.2:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 36.5% -21% vs state
NCES ID 292706001650
Student demographics
White 65.0%
Two or More 12.0%
African American 9.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
Asian 5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 65.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 343:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.0%
In-school suspensions 17
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Joseph, which includes Ellison Elem..
$13,485
Per student
-12%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 50.8%
State 30.4%
Federal 18.8%
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
- 1,733
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 682
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 644
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 638
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
Similar elementary schools in St Joseph
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Parkway Elem.
Standard public school
438 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Lindbergh Elem.
Standard public school
431 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Hosea Elem.
Standard public school
422 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Coleman Elem.
Standard public school
388 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Hyde Elem.
Standard public school
352 students 18:1 students per teacher
Field Elem.
Standard public school
336 students 13.9:1 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 Ellison Elem.
How many students attend Ellison Elem.?
Ellison Elem. has 343 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in ST JOSEPH, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ellison Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Ellison Elem. is 15.2:1, which is 18% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ellison Elem.?
36.5% of students at Ellison Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ellison Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Ellison Elem. is White at 65.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in ST JOSEPH, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ellison Elem.?
Ellison Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) 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.