Enrollment
619
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 290100002770
Mary Paxton Keeley Elem. — Columbia, MO
Federal NCES profile for Mary Paxton Keeley Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 62
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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.9%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mary Paxton Keeley 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
Mary Paxton Keeley Elem. reports 619 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% 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 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 27.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% below the Missouri average and 46% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 310 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.3% 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 52/100 (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 Mary Paxton Keeley 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 | 15.9:1 | ▲ 23% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.9% | ▼ 39% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 619 | top 86% | — | — |
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
27.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 23% above state mean
Top 87% in Missouri — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.3%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 310 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 619 Top 86% in Missouri — larger than 14% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 +23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 27.9% -39% vs state
NCES ID 290100002770
Student demographics
White 51.7%
African American 20.4%
Two or More 11.0%
Asian 10.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
Largest group: White at 51.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 310:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.3%
In-school suspensions 15
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia 93, which includes Mary Paxton Keeley 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.
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
Alpha Hart Lewis
Standard public school
468 students 13.5:1 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 Mary Paxton Keeley Elem.
How many students attend Mary Paxton Keeley Elem.?
Mary Paxton Keeley Elem. has 619 students enrolled. It is a other school in COLUMBIA, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary Paxton Keeley Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Mary Paxton Keeley Elem. is 15.9:1, which is 23% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mary Paxton Keeley Elem.?
27.9% of students at Mary Paxton Keeley Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mary Paxton Keeley Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Mary Paxton Keeley Elem. is White at 51.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in COLUMBIA, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mary Paxton Keeley Elem.?
Mary Paxton Keeley Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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.