Other / mixed grade configuration · Independence, MO

Mill Creek Elem.

Federal NCES profile for Mill Creek Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 291548000714
0/100100/10033/100
👥 S:T ratio
38
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Mill Creek Elem. earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of Missouri schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.

#20 of 22
schools in Independence · Resource Index
33
Resource Index · Typical
15.6:1
large classes for Missouri
57.9%
free-lunch eligible

Mill Creek Elem. has class sizes larger than 85% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Mill Creek Elem. ranks #20 of 22 schools in Independence, MO.

School address

Enrollment

250

Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

16.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

15.6:1

vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg

+22% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

57.9%

vs 46.1% Missouri avg

+26% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Mill Creek Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Mill Creek Elem.

Mill Creek Elem. is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Independence, Missouri, enrolling 250 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 57.9% of students eligible for free meals.

With 250 students, its enrollment sits close to the Missouri median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 2,313 Missouri schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 202 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #191, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 63/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 500 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 21.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Independence 30 also operates Truman High (1,720 students) and William Chrisman High (1,417 students) alongside Mill Creek 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 Mill Creek Elem. compares

Mill Creek 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 15.6:1 ▲ 22% 12.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 57.9% ▲ 26% 46.1% 51.7%
Enrollment 250 top 61% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
250
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
57.9%
free-lunch eligible - 26% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.6:1
students per teacher - 22% above state mean
Top 85% in Missouri - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.0%
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
$11,956
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.2 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 54.8%
Hispanic or Latino 20.8%
African American 12.0%
Two or More 10.4%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%

Largest group: White at 54.8% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 63.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 63.1, Mill Creek Elem. is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Independence 30, which includes Mill Creek Elem..

$11,956
Per student
-8%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.9%
State 35.3%
Federal 21.8%

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 Mill Creek Elem. Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Truman High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
William Chrisman High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Van Horn High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Clifford H. Nowlin Middle Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Bridger Middle Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Mill Creek Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Independence 30 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Mill Creek Elem.'s federal record.

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 Mill Creek Elem.

How many students attend Mill Creek Elem.?

Mill Creek Elem. has 250 students enrolled. It is a public school in Independence, MO.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Mill Creek Elem.?

The student-teacher ratio at Mill Creek Elem. is 15.6:1, which is 22% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mill Creek Elem.?

57.9% of students at Mill Creek Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mill Creek Elem.?

The largest demographic group at Mill Creek Elem. is White at 54.8% of enrollment, in Independence, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.1/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Mill Creek Elem.?

Mill Creek Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical 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 Mill Creek Elem. rank among schools in Independence?

By Resource Investment Index, Mill Creek Elem. ranks #20 of 22 schools in Independence, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Independence on the city page.

Is Mill Creek Elem. a good school?

Mill Creek Elem. earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of Missouri schools. 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 Independence 30?

Besides Mill Creek Elem., Independence 30 also operates Truman High (1,720 students), William Chrisman High (1,417 students), and Van Horn High (1,067 students). See the Independence 30 district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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.