Enrollment
609
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lebanon, MO
Joe D. Esther Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Joe D. Esther Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 291827000975
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Joe D. Esther Elem. earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Missouri schools.
- #3 of 6
- public schools in Lebanon · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.5:1
- small classes for Missouri
- 51.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Joe D. Esther Elem. has class sizes smaller than 84% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Joe D. Esther Elem. ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Lebanon, MO.
School address
District: Lebanon R-Iii · Missouri
NCES ID 291827000975 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.5:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Joe D. Esther Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Joe D. Esther Elem.
Joe D. Esther Elem. is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Lebanon, Missouri, enrolling 609 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 51.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 609 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Among 251 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #23, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 438 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 19.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Lebanon R-Iii also operates Lebanon Sr. High (1,439 students) and Lebanon Middle School (859 students) alongside Joe D. Esther 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 Joe D. Esther Elem. compares
Joe D. Esther 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 | 9.5:1 | ▼ 26% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.0% | ▲ 11% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 609 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.5:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
609
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
9.5:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 16% in Missouri - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
9.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$10,619
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
Counselors1.4 FTE
Per 438 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.5 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 87.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Two or More 4.3%
African American 1.1%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 87.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.8, Joe D. Esther Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lebanon R-Iii, which includes Joe D. Esther Elem..
$10,619
Per student
-18%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.9%
State 36.0%
Federal 19.1%
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 Joe D. Esther Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon Sr. High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lebanon Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Maplecrest Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Boswell Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Joe D. Esther Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,439
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 859
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 656
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 581
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
Similar other 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 (~609 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Joe D. Esther Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Joe D. Esther Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Lebanon 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 Joe D. Esther Elem.
How many students attend Joe D. Esther Elem.?
Joe D. Esther Elem. has 609 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lebanon, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Joe D. Esther Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Joe D. Esther Elem. is 9.5:1, which is 26% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 39% 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 Joe D. Esther Elem.?
51.0% of students at Joe D. Esther Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Joe D. Esther Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Joe D. Esther Elem. is White at 87.5% of enrollment, in Lebanon, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Joe D. Esther Elem.?
Joe D. Esther Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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 Joe D. Esther Elem. rank among public schools in Lebanon?
By Resource Investment Index, Joe D. Esther Elem. ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Lebanon, 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 Lebanon on the city page.
Is Joe D. Esther Elem. a good school?
Joe D. Esther Elem. earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% 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 Lebanon R-Iii?
Besides Joe D. Esther Elem., Lebanon R-Iii also operates Lebanon Sr. High (1,439 students), Lebanon Middle School (859 students), and Maplecrest Elem. (656 students). See the Lebanon 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.