Enrollment
344
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 291640003257
Hale Cook Elementary — Kansas City, MO
Federal NCES profile for Hale Cook Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 71
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: Kansas City 33 · 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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.9%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+115% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hale Cook 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
Hale Cook Elementary reports 344 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 98.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 115% above the Missouri average and 91% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 344 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kansas City 33 spends $19,566 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 75.0% from local sources (property taxes), 2.3% from the state, and 22.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 Hale Cook 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 | 12.3:1 | ▼ 5% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.9% | ▲ 115% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 344 | 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
98.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 115% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 41% in Missouri — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
11.6%
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
$19,566
per pupil, district-wide
— above Missouri avg of $15,248
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 344 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 344 Top 55% in Missouri — larger than 45% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 12.3:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 98.9% +115% vs state
NCES ID 291640003257
Student demographics
White 57.3%
African American 20.3%
Hispanic or Latino 9.3%
Two or More 9.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.3%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 57.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 344:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.6%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kansas City 33, which includes Hale Cook Elementary.
$19,566
Per student
+28%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 75.0%
State 2.3%
Federal 22.6%
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
- 1,155
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 997
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 768
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 732
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 669
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
Similar other schools in Kansas City
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Guadalupe Centers Elementary
Standard public school
801 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
M. L. King Elementary
Standard public school
768 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Gracemor Elementary
Standard public school
684 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Paseo Acad. of Performing Arts
Standard public school
669 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Kipp Endeavor Academy
Standard public school
665 students 10.4:1 students per teacher
Kc International-Wallace
Standard public school
662 students 7.4:1 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 Hale Cook Elementary
How many students attend Hale Cook Elementary?
Hale Cook Elementary has 344 students enrolled. It is a other school in KANSAS CITY, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hale Cook Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Hale Cook Elementary is 12.3:1, which is 5% lower than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 23% 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 Hale Cook Elementary?
98.9% of students at Hale Cook Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hale Cook Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Hale Cook Elementary is White at 57.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in KANSAS CITY, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hale Cook Elementary?
Hale Cook Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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.