Enrollment
300
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Poplar Bluff, MO
Lake Road Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Lake Road Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 292545001471
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lake Road Elem. earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- #2 of 6
- elementary schools in Poplar Bluff · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.5:1
- students per teacher
- 99.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Lake Road Elem. has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lake Road Elem. ranks #2 of 6 elementary schools in Poplar Bluff, MO.
School address
District: Poplar Bluff R-I · Missouri
NCES ID 292545001471 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+115% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake Road Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lake Road Elem.
Lake Road Elem. is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, enrolling 300 students.
At 12.5:1, 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.
Economic need is high: 99.0% of students qualify for free meals, 115% above the Missouri average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 300 students, its enrollment sits close to the Missouri median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 213 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #24.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 300 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 20.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Poplar Bluff R-I also operates Poplar Bluff High (1,416 students) and Poplar Bluff Middle School (932 students) alongside Lake Road 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 Lake Road Elem. compares
Lake Road 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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 2% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.0% | ▲ 115% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 300 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
300
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 115% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 48% in Missouri - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,549
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 300 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
21
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.0 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 68.7%
African American 17.0%
Two or More 12.0%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 68.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.4, Lake Road Elem. is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poplar Bluff R-I, which includes Lake Road Elem..
$10,549
Per student
-18%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.8%
State 36.8%
Federal 20.4%
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 Lake Road Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poplar Bluff High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Poplar Bluff Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Poplar Bluff Jr. High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| O'neal Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Poplar Bluff Kindergarten Ctr. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lake Road Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,416
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 932
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 735
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 344
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
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 (~300 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lake Road Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Lake Road Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Poplar Bluff R-I'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 Lake Road Elem.
How many students attend Lake Road Elem.?
Lake Road Elem. has 300 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Poplar Bluff, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Road Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake Road Elem. is 12.5:1, which is 2% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 20% 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 Lake Road Elem.?
99.0% of students at Lake Road Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Road Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Lake Road Elem. is White at 68.7% of enrollment, in Poplar Bluff, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Road Elem.?
Lake Road Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Lake Road Elem. rank among elementary schools in Poplar Bluff?
By Resource Investment Index, Lake Road Elem. ranks #2 of 6 elementary schools in Poplar Bluff, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Poplar Bluff on the city page.
Is Lake Road Elem. a good school?
Lake Road Elem. earns 53/100 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 Poplar Bluff R-I?
Besides Lake Road Elem., Poplar Bluff R-I also operates Poplar Bluff High (1,416 students), Poplar Bluff Middle School (932 students), and Poplar Bluff Jr. High (735 students). See the Poplar Bluff R-I 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.