Enrollment
762
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · St Charles, MO
Independence Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Independence Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 292895002761
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Independence Elem. earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Missouri schools.
- #5 of 9
- elementary schools in St Charles · Resource Index
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.7:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 8.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Independence Elem. has class sizes larger than 77% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Independence Elem. ranks #5 of 9 elementary schools in St Charles, MO.
School address
District: Francis Howell R-Iii · Missouri
NCES ID 292895002761 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
8.4%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-82% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Independence Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Independence Elem.
Independence Elem. is a lower-poverty, large elementary school in St Charles, Missouri, enrolling 762 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 8.4% free-meal eligibility runs 82% below the Missouri average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Missouri, bigger than 91% of state schools at 762 students.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 2,313 Missouri schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 160 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #8, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Two or More (8%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 254 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Francis Howell R-Iii also operates Francis Howell High (1,843 students) and Francis Howell Central High (1,750 students) alongside Independence Elem..
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 Independence Elem. compares
Independence Elem. on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.7:1 | ▲ 15% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 8.4% | ▼ 82% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 762 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.7:1
Leaner classes than 50% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
762
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
8.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 82% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.7:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 77% in Missouri - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
7.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,775
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 254 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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 79.3%
Two or More 7.6%
African American 6.2%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
Asian 2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 79.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.9, Independence Elem. is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Francis Howell R-Iii, which includes Independence Elem..
$11,775
Per student
-9%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 73.3%
State 19.7%
Federal 6.9%
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 Independence Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Howell High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Francis Howell Central High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Francis Howell North High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fairmount Elem. | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Central Elem. | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Independence Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,843
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,750
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 1,716
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 971
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
- Enrollment
- 865
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
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 (~762 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Independence Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Independence Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Francis Howell R-Iii'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 Independence Elem.
How many students attend Independence Elem.?
Independence Elem. has 762 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in St Charles, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Independence Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Independence Elem. is 14.7:1, which is 15% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Independence Elem.?
8.4% of students at Independence Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Independence Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Independence Elem. is White at 79.3% of enrollment, in St Charles, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Independence Elem.?
Independence Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher 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 Independence Elem. rank among elementary schools in St Charles?
By Resource Investment Index, Independence Elem. ranks #5 of 9 elementary 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 elementary schools in St Charles on the city page.
Is Independence Elem. a good school?
Independence Elem. earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of 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 Francis Howell R-Iii?
Besides Independence Elem., Francis Howell R-Iii also operates Francis Howell High (1,843 students), Francis Howell Central High (1,750 students), and Francis Howell North High (1,716 students). See the Francis Howell R-Iii 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.