Enrollment
300
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 291635000780
Kelsey Norman Elem. — Joplin, MO
Federal NCES profile for Kelsey Norman Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 57/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 80
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: Joplin Schools · 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.5%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kelsey Norman 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
Kelsey Norman Elem. reports 300 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% 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 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 47.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% above the Missouri average and 8% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 300 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Joplin Schools spends $13,777 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 54.9% from local sources (property taxes), 26.1% from the state, and 19.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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 Kelsey Norman 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 | 15.8:1 | ▲ 22% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.5% | ▲ 3% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 300 | top 47% | — | — |
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
47.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% 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
15.8:1
students per teacher
— 22% above state mean
Top 86% in Missouri — lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,777
per pupil, district-wide
— below 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 300 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 300 Top 47% in Missouri — larger than 53% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 15.8:1 +22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 47.5% +3% vs state
NCES ID 291635000780
Student demographics
White 61.3%
Two or More 16.7%
Hispanic or Latino 10.7%
African American 5.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.3%
Asian 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
Largest group: White at 61.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 300:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.0%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Joplin Schools, which includes Kelsey Norman Elem..
$13,777
Per student
-10%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 54.9%
State 26.1%
Federal 19.0%
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
- 2,288
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 592
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 549
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 532
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Joplin
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Cecil Floyd Elem.
Standard public school
532 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Irving Elementary
Standard public school
434 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Dover Hill Elementary
Standard public school
412 students 13:1 students per teacher
Stapleton Elem.
Standard public school
400 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Soaring Heights Elem.
Standard public school
395 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Mckinley Elem.
Standard public school
324 students 11.1:1 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 Kelsey Norman Elem.
How many students attend Kelsey Norman Elem.?
Kelsey Norman Elem. has 300 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in JOPLIN, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kelsey Norman Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Kelsey Norman Elem. is 15.8:1, which is 22% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kelsey Norman Elem.?
47.5% of students at Kelsey Norman Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kelsey Norman Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Kelsey Norman Elem. is White at 61.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in JOPLIN, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kelsey Norman Elem.?
Kelsey Norman Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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.