Enrollment
369
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Sikeston, MO
Lee Hunter Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Lee Hunter 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 292826001739
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lee Hunter Elem. earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Missouri schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #4 of 4
- elementary schools in Sikeston · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.8:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 99.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Lee Hunter Elem. has class sizes larger than 78% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lee Hunter Elem. ranks #4 of 4 elementary schools in Sikeston, MO.
School address
District: Sikeston R-6 · Missouri
NCES ID 292826001739 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.1%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+115% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lee Hunter Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lee Hunter Elem.
Lee Hunter Elem. is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Sikeston, Missouri, enrolling 369 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 99.1% of students qualify for free meals, 115% above the Missouri average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 369 students, its enrollment sits close to the Missouri median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 221 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #34.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and African American (31%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 369 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
13.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 25.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Sikeston R-6 also operates Sikeston Senior High School (955 students) and Sikeston Middle School (493 students) alongside Lee Hunter 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 Lee Hunter Elem. compares
Lee Hunter 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 | 14.8:1 | ▲ 16% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.1% | ▲ 115% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 369 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
369
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.1%
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
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 78% in Missouri - lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.6%
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
$10,519
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 369 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 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 56.4%
African American 31.4%
Two or More 9.2%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 56.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.4, Lee Hunter Elem. is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sikeston R-6, which includes Lee Hunter Elem..
$10,519
Per student
-19%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.3%
State 32.2%
Federal 25.6%
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 Lee Hunter Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sikeston Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sikeston Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sikeston Junior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sikeston Kindergarten Ctr. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wing Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lee Hunter Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 955
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 493
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 359
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
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 (~369 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lee Hunter Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Lee Hunter Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Sikeston R-6'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 Lee Hunter Elem.
How many students attend Lee Hunter Elem.?
Lee Hunter Elem. has 369 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Sikeston, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lee Hunter Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Lee Hunter Elem. is 14.8:1, which is 16% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lee Hunter Elem.?
99.1% of students at Lee Hunter Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lee Hunter Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Lee Hunter Elem. is White at 56.4% of enrollment, in Sikeston, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lee Hunter Elem.?
Lee Hunter 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).
How does Lee Hunter Elem. rank among elementary schools in Sikeston?
By Resource Investment Index, Lee Hunter Elem. ranks #4 of 4 elementary schools in Sikeston, 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 Sikeston on the city page.
Is Lee Hunter Elem. a good school?
Lee Hunter Elem. earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Missouri schools. It is also more 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 Sikeston R-6?
Besides Lee Hunter Elem., Sikeston R-6 also operates Sikeston Senior High School (955 students), Sikeston Middle School (493 students), and Sikeston Junior High School (448 students). See the Sikeston R-6 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.