Enrollment
326
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 290462000052
Gladden Elem. — Belton, MO
Federal NCES profile for Gladden Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 3
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: Belton 124 · 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)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.8%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gladden 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
Gladden Elem. reports 326 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 44.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% below the Missouri average and 14% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 326 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Belton 124 spends $15,431 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 51.1% from local sources (property taxes), 34.8% from the state, and 14.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), 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 Gladden 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 | 13.6:1 | ▲ 5% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.8% | ▼ 3% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 326 | top 52% | — | — |
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
44.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.6:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 62% in Missouri — lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
38.7%
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
$15,431
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 326 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
22
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 326 Top 52% in Missouri — larger than 48% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 13.6:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 44.8% -3% vs state
NCES ID 290462000052
Student demographics
White 58.9%
Hispanic or Latino 18.4%
Two or More 12.9%
African American 8.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Largest group: White at 58.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 326:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.7%
In-school suspensions 22
Out-of-school suspensions 20
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belton 124, which includes Gladden Elem..
$15,431
Per student
+1%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 51.1%
State 34.8%
Federal 14.0%
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
- 1,258
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 641
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Belton
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Cambridge Elem.
Standard public school
501 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest
Standard public school
486 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Mill Creek Upper Elem.
Standard public school
435 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Kentucky Trail Elem.
Standard public school
355 students 12.5:1 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 Gladden Elem.
How many students attend Gladden Elem.?
Gladden Elem. has 326 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in BELTON, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gladden Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Gladden Elem. is 13.6:1, which is 5% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gladden Elem.?
44.8% of students at Gladden Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gladden Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Gladden Elem. is White at 58.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in BELTON, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gladden Elem.?
Gladden Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) 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.