Enrollment
681
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · St James, MO
Lucy Wortham James Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Lucy Wortham James Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 292925001873
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lucy Wortham James Elem. earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in St James · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.3:1
- students per teacher
- 40.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Lucy Wortham James Elem. has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lucy Wortham James Elem. ranks #2 of 3 public schools in St James, MO.
School address
District: St. James R-I · Missouri
NCES ID 292925001873 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.6%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lucy Wortham James Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lucy Wortham James Elem.
Lucy Wortham James Elem. is a large combined-grade school in St James, Missouri, enrolling 681 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 40.6% lands close to the Missouri typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 681 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Among 305 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #30, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 341 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
14.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 27.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
St. James R-I also operates St. James High (509 students) and St. James Middle (369 students) alongside Lucy Wortham James 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 Lucy Wortham James Elem. compares
Lucy Wortham James 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 12% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.6% | ▼ 12% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 681 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
681
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 31% in Missouri - lower ratio than 69% 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
$13,228
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 341 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
71
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.2 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 92.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.6%
Two or More 2.3%
African American 1.8%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 92.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.3, Lucy Wortham James Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. James R-I, which includes Lucy Wortham James Elem..
$13,228
Per student
+2%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.1%
State 37.2%
Federal 27.6%
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 Lucy Wortham James Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. James High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| St. James Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lucy Wortham James Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 509
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 369
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
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 (~681 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lucy Wortham James Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Lucy Wortham James Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- St. James 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 Lucy Wortham James Elem.
How many students attend Lucy Wortham James Elem.?
Lucy Wortham James Elem. has 681 students enrolled. It is a public school in St James, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lucy Wortham James Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Lucy Wortham James Elem. is 11.3:1, which is 12% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 28% 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 Lucy Wortham James Elem.?
40.6% of students at Lucy Wortham James Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lucy Wortham James Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Lucy Wortham James Elem. is White at 92.5% of enrollment, in St James, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lucy Wortham James Elem.?
Lucy Wortham James Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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 Lucy Wortham James Elem. rank among public schools in St James?
By Resource Investment Index, Lucy Wortham James Elem. ranks #2 of 3 public schools in St James, 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 St James on the city page.
Is Lucy Wortham James Elem. a good school?
Lucy Wortham James Elem. earns 55/100 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 St. James R-I?
Besides Lucy Wortham James Elem., St. James R-I also operates St. James High (509 students) and St. James Middle (369 students). See the St. James 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.