Enrollment
435
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Belton, MO
Mill Creek Upper Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Mill Creek Upper Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 290462002724
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 32
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mill Creek Upper Elem. earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #2 of 5
- elementary schools in Belton · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.6:1
- students per teacher
- 40.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Mill Creek Upper Elem. has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mill Creek Upper Elem. ranks #2 of 5 elementary schools in Belton, MO.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.1%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mill Creek Upper Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mill Creek Upper Elem.
Mill Creek Upper Elem. is a mid-sized elementary school in Belton, Missouri, enrolling 435 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 40.1% lands close to the Missouri typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 435 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Among 510 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #429, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 435 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Belton 124 also operates Belton High (1,258 students) and Belton Middle School (641 students) alongside Mill Creek Upper 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 Upper Elem. compares
Mill Creek Upper 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 | 13.6:1 | ▲ 6% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.1% | ▼ 13% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 435 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
435
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 64% in Missouri - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.1%
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
$12,550
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 435 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 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 54.9%
Hispanic or Latino 18.9%
African American 15.2%
Two or More 10.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 54.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.0, Mill Creek Upper Elem. is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belton 124, which includes Mill Creek Upper Elem..
$12,550
Per student
-3%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.1%
State 34.8%
Federal 14.0%
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 Upper Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belton High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Belton Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cambridge Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kentucky Trail Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mill Creek Upper Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,258
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 641
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 355
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~435 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mill Creek Upper Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Mill Creek Upper Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Belton 124'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 Mill Creek Upper Elem.
How many students attend Mill Creek Upper Elem.?
Mill Creek Upper Elem. has 435 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Belton, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mill Creek Upper Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Mill Creek Upper Elem. is 13.6:1, which is 6% 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 Mill Creek Upper Elem.?
40.1% of students at Mill Creek Upper Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mill Creek Upper Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Mill Creek Upper Elem. is White at 54.9% of enrollment, in Belton, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mill Creek Upper Elem.?
Mill Creek Upper Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Upper Elem. rank among elementary schools in Belton?
By Resource Investment Index, Mill Creek Upper Elem. ranks #2 of 5 elementary schools in Belton, 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 Belton on the city page.
Is Mill Creek Upper Elem. a good school?
Mill Creek Upper Elem. earns 40/100 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 Belton 124?
Besides Mill Creek Upper Elem., Belton 124 also operates Belton High (1,258 students), Belton Middle School (641 students), and Cambridge Elem. (501 students). See the Belton 124 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.