Enrollment
249
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 290732000194
Nell Holcomb Elem. — Cape Girardeau, MO
Federal NCES profile for Nell Holcomb Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 65/100.
👥 Class size 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 76
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: Nell Holcomb R-Iv · 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)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.7:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.7%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nell Holcomb 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
Nell Holcomb Elem. reports 249 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 33% below the Missouri state mean of 12.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 45% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 23% below the Missouri average and 31% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 249 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Nell Holcomb R-Iv spends $17,477 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 59.0% from local sources (property taxes), 21.5% from the state, and 19.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-), 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 Nell Holcomb 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 | 8.7:1 | ▼ 33% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.7% | ▼ 23% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 249 | top 39% | — | — |
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
35.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 23% 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
8.7:1
students per teacher
— 33% below state mean
Top 10% in Missouri — lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
9.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$17,477
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 249 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 249 Top 39% in Missouri — larger than 61% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 8.7:1 -33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.7% -23% vs state
NCES ID 290732000194
Student demographics
White 84.7%
African American 10.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.4%
Two or More 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 84.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 249:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.6%
In-school suspensions 15
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nell Holcomb R-Iv, which includes Nell Holcomb Elem..
$17,477
Per student
+15%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 59.0%
State 21.5%
Federal 19.4%
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.
Similar other schools in Cape Girardeau
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Jefferson Elem.
Standard public school
494 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Clippard Elem.
Standard public school
383 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Blanchard Elem.
Standard public school
326 students 10.2:1 students per teacher
Franklin Elem.
Standard public school
241 students 7.8:1 students per teacher
Parkview School
Special-education school
25 students 4.7:1 students per teacher
Girardot Center for Youth
Standard public school
24 students 4.5:1 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 Nell Holcomb Elem.
How many students attend Nell Holcomb Elem.?
Nell Holcomb Elem. has 249 students enrolled. It is a other school in CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nell Holcomb Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Nell Holcomb Elem. is 8.7:1, which is 33% lower than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 45% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Nell Holcomb Elem.?
35.7% of students at Nell Holcomb Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nell Holcomb Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Nell Holcomb Elem. is White at 84.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nell Holcomb Elem.?
Nell Holcomb Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-) 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.