Enrollment
145
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · La Plata, MO
La Plata Elem.
Federal NCES profile for La Plata Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 291695000938
👥 S:T ratio 68
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
La Plata Elem. earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Missouri schools.
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.1:1
- small classes for Missouri
- 32.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 145
- students enrolled
La Plata Elem. has class sizes smaller than 91% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: La Plata R-Ii · Missouri
NCES ID 291695000938 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.1:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.1%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How La Plata Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at La Plata Elem.
La Plata Elem. is a mid-sized elementary school in La Plata, Missouri, enrolling 145 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.1:1, La Plata Elem. is leaner than roughly 91% of Missouri schools and 37% under the state's 12.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 145 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 260 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #159.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment) (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 290 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district, La Plata R-Ii, also runs La Plata High (150 students).
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 La Plata Elem. compares
La Plata 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 | 8.1:1 | ▼ 37% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.1% | ▼ 30% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 145 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.1:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
145
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
8.1:1
students per teacher
- 37% below state mean
Top 9% in Missouri - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
14.5%
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
$12,681
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 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 96.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
African American 1.4%
Largest group: White at 96.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.6, La Plata Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for La Plata R-Ii, which includes La Plata Elem..
$12,681
Per student
-2%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.7%
State 44.4%
Federal 12.9%
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 La Plata Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Plata High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to La Plata Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 150
- Students per teacher
- 8.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
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 (~145 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on La Plata Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare La Plata Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- La Plata R-Ii'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 La Plata Elem.
How many students attend La Plata Elem.?
La Plata Elem. has 145 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in La Plata, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at La Plata Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at La Plata Elem. is 8.1:1, which is 37% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 48% 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 La Plata Elem.?
32.1% of students at La Plata Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of La Plata Elem.?
The largest demographic group at La Plata Elem. is White at 96.6% of enrollment, in La Plata, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for La Plata Elem.?
La Plata Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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 La Plata Elem. a good school?
La Plata Elem. earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 La Plata R-Ii?
Besides La Plata Elem., La Plata R-Ii also operates La Plata High (150 students). See the La Plata R-Ii 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.