Enrollment
315
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · St Joseph, MO
Mark Twain Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Mark Twain Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 292706001663
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mark Twain Elem. earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- #5 of 10
- elementary schools in St Joseph · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 99.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Mark Twain Elem. has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mark Twain Elem. ranks #5 of 10 elementary schools in St Joseph, MO.
School address
District: St. Joseph · Missouri
NCES ID 292706001663 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+115% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mark Twain Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mark Twain Elem.
Mark Twain Elem. is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in St Joseph, Missouri, enrolling 315 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
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 315 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 222 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #45.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 315 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
St. Joseph also operates Central High (1,733 students) and Benton High (682 students) alongside Mark Twain 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 Mark Twain Elem. compares
Mark Twain 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 | 13.7:1 | ▲ 7% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.0% | ▲ 115% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 315 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
315
Bigger than 34% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 65% in Missouri - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,308
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 315 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Joseph, which includes Mark Twain Elem..
$11,308
Per student
-13%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.8%
State 30.4%
Federal 18.8%
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 Mark Twain Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Benton High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lafayette High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Carden Park Elem | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Oak Grove Elem | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mark Twain Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,733
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 682
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 644
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 638
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
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 (~315 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mark Twain Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Mark Twain Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- St. Joseph'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 Mark Twain Elem.
How many students attend Mark Twain Elem.?
Mark Twain Elem. has 315 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in St Joseph, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mark Twain Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Mark Twain Elem. is 13.7:1, which is 7% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mark Twain Elem.?
99.0% of students at Mark Twain Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mark Twain Elem.?
Mark Twain Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Mark Twain Elem. rank among elementary schools in St Joseph?
By Resource Investment Index, Mark Twain Elem. ranks #5 of 10 elementary schools in St Joseph, 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 St Joseph on the city page.
Is Mark Twain Elem. a good school?
Mark Twain Elem. earns 50/100 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. Joseph?
Besides Mark Twain Elem., St. Joseph also operates Central High (1,733 students), Benton High (682 students), and Lafayette High (644 students). See the St. Joseph 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.