Enrollment
424
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Malden, MO
Malden Lower Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Malden Lower Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 291989001056
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Malden Lower Elem. earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.5:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 424
- students enrolled
Malden Lower Elem. has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+117% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Malden Lower Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Malden Lower Elem.
Malden Lower Elem. is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Malden, Missouri, enrolling 424 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 100.0% of students qualify for free meals, 117% above the Missouri average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 424 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 200 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #23.
Its student body is led by White (54%) and African American (30%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 212 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
13.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 34.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 90 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 424 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Its district, Malden R-I, also runs Malden High (383 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 Malden Lower Elem. compares
Malden Lower 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 | 11.5:1 | ▼ 10% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 117% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 424 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
424
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 117% 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
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 34% in Missouri - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.2%
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
$10,912
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 212 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
74
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.2 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 54.0%
African American 30.4%
Two or More 9.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 54.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.4, Malden Lower Elem. is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Malden R-I, which includes Malden Lower Elem..
$10,912
Per student
-16%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.1%
State 37.8%
Federal 34.2%
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.
How Malden Lower Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malden High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Malden Lower Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~424 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Malden Lower Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Malden Lower Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Malden 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 Malden Lower Elem.
How many students attend Malden Lower Elem.?
Malden Lower Elem. has 424 students enrolled. It is a public school in Malden, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Malden Lower Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Malden Lower Elem. is 11.5:1, which is 10% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 27% 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 Malden Lower Elem.?
100.0% of students at Malden Lower Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Malden Lower Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Malden Lower Elem. is White at 54.0% of enrollment, in Malden, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Malden Lower Elem.?
Malden Lower Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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 Malden Lower Elem. a good school?
Malden Lower Elem. earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. 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 Malden R-I?
Besides Malden Lower Elem., Malden R-I also operates Malden High (383 students). See the Malden 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.