Enrollment
283
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 290100000308
Locust St Expressive Arts Elem — Columbia, MO
Federal NCES profile for Locust St Expressive Arts Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 55/100.
👥 Class size 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 61
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: Columbia 93 · 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.3%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Locust St Expressive Arts 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
Locust St Expressive Arts Elem reports 283 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% 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 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 15% below the Missouri average and 24% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 283 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Columbia 93 spends $15,957 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 64.5% from local sources (property taxes), 25.3% from the state, and 10.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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 Locust St Expressive Arts 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 | 13.8:1 | ▲ 7% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.3% | ▼ 15% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 283 | top 44% | — | — |
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
39.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 15% 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
13.8:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 65% in Missouri — lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,957
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 283 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 283 Top 44% in Missouri — larger than 56% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 13.8:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.3% -15% vs state
NCES ID 290100000308
Student demographics
White 50.2%
African American 20.1%
Two or More 12.7%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
Asian 6.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 50.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 283:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.5%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia 93, which includes Locust St Expressive Arts Elem.
$15,957
Per student
+5%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 64.5%
State 25.3%
Federal 10.2%
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
- 2,007
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,997
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,492
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 736
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 656
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
Similar other schools in Columbia
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Mary Paxton Keeley Elem.
Standard public school
619 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Mill Creek Elem.
Standard public school
583 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Rock Bridge Elem.
Standard public school
556 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Shepard Blvd. Elem.
Standard public school
538 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Russell Blvd. Elem.
Standard public school
500 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Fairview Elem.
Standard public school
471 students 15.1:1 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 Locust St Expressive Arts Elem
How many students attend Locust St Expressive Arts Elem?
Locust St Expressive Arts Elem has 283 students enrolled. It is a other school in COLUMBIA, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Locust St Expressive Arts Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Locust St Expressive Arts Elem is 13.8:1, which is 7% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Locust St Expressive Arts Elem?
39.3% of students at Locust St Expressive Arts Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Locust St Expressive Arts Elem?
The largest demographic group at Locust St Expressive Arts Elem is White at 50.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in COLUMBIA, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Locust St Expressive Arts Elem?
Locust St Expressive Arts Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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.