Enrollment
199
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Benton, MO
Kelso Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Kelso Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 291647000895
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kelso Elem. earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Benton · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.3:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 22.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Kelso Elem. has class sizes larger than 82% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kelso Elem. ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Benton, MO.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kelso Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kelso Elem.
Kelso Elem. is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Benton, Missouri, enrolling 199 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 22.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 199 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 232 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #135.
Its student body is predominantly White (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 4/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 199 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
11.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Kelso C-7 spends $9,913 per pupil, 23% below the Missouri average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Kelso C-7 operates only this one school, so Kelso Elem. has no district-mates to compare against locally.
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 Kelso Elem. compares
Kelso 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 | 15.3:1 | ▲ 20% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.0% | ▼ 52% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 199 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
199
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 82% in Missouri - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
11.6%
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
$9,913
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 199 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
21
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.6 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 98.0%
African American 1.5%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: White at 98.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 3.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 3.9, Kelso Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kelso C-7, which includes Kelso Elem..
$9,913
Per student
-23%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.6%
State 17.6%
Federal 15.8%
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.
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 (~199 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kelso Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Kelso Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Kelso C-7'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 Kelso Elem.
How many students attend Kelso Elem.?
Kelso Elem. has 199 students enrolled. It is a public school in Benton, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kelso Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Kelso Elem. is 15.3:1, which is 20% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kelso Elem.?
22.0% of students at Kelso Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kelso Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Kelso Elem. is White at 98.0% of enrollment, in Benton, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kelso Elem.?
Kelso Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Kelso Elem. rank among public schools in Benton?
By Resource Investment Index, Kelso Elem. ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Benton, 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 Benton on the city page.
Is Kelso Elem. a good school?
Kelso Elem. earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Kelso C-7?
None reported; Kelso C-7 operates only Kelso Elem. as a public school district in NCES's records.
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.