Enrollment
640
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dardenne Prairie, MO
John Weldon Elem.
Federal NCES profile for John Weldon Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 292895002666
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 72
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
John Weldon Elem. earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 4.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 640
- students enrolled
John Weldon Elem. has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Francis Howell R-Iii · Missouri
NCES ID 292895002666 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
4.7%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-90% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How John Weldon Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at John Weldon Elem.
John Weldon Elem. is a lower-poverty, large combined-grade school in Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, enrolling 640 students.
At 12.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Missouri median, within a few percentage points of the 12.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 4.7% free-meal eligibility runs 90% below the Missouri average.
Enrollment of 640 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 2,313 Missouri schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 165 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #6, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Asian (12%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 213 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
11.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Francis Howell R-Iii also operates Francis Howell High (1,843 students) and Francis Howell Central High (1,750 students) alongside John Weldon 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 John Weldon Elem. compares
John Weldon 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 0% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 4.7% | ▼ 90% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 640 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
640
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
4.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 90% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 52% in Missouri - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
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 213 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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 73.4%
Asian 12.0%
African American 5.2%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Two or More 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 73.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.0, John Weldon 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 John Weldon 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 John Weldon 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 | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fairmount Elem. | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central Elem. | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to John Weldon 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 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 (~640 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on John Weldon Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare John Weldon 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 John Weldon Elem.
How many students attend John Weldon Elem.?
John Weldon Elem. has 640 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dardenne Prairie, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John Weldon Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at John Weldon Elem. is 12.8:1, which is 0% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at John Weldon Elem.?
4.7% of students at John Weldon Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of John Weldon Elem.?
The largest demographic group at John Weldon Elem. is White at 73.4% of enrollment, in Dardenne Prairie, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John Weldon Elem.?
John Weldon Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (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).
Is John Weldon Elem. a good school?
John Weldon Elem. earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. 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 John Weldon 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.