Enrollment
438
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · St Joseph, MO
Parkway Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Parkway Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 292706001667
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Parkway Elem. earns 43/100 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.
- #10 of 10
- elementary schools in St Joseph · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.6:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 99.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Parkway Elem. has class sizes larger than 85% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Parkway Elem. ranks #10 of 10 elementary schools in St Joseph, MO.
School address
District: St. Joseph · Missouri
NCES ID 292706001667 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.2%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+115% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Parkway Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Parkway Elem.
Parkway Elem. is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in St Joseph, Missouri, enrolling 438 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 is high: 99.2% of students qualify for free meals, 115% above the Missouri average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 438 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.
Against 197 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #78.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 438 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.6% 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 Parkway 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 Parkway Elem. compares
Parkway 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 | 99.2% | ▲ 115% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 438 | top 29% | - | - |
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.
438
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.2%
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
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
19.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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 438 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.4 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.
Student demographics
White 61.2%
Hispanic or Latino 16.9%
Two or More 15.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3.0%
African American 2.5%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 61.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.2, Parkway Elem. is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Joseph, which includes Parkway 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 Parkway 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 | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lafayette High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Carden Park Elem | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oak Grove Elem | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Parkway 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 (~438 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Parkway Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Parkway 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 Parkway Elem.
How many students attend Parkway Elem.?
Parkway Elem. has 438 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in St Joseph, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Parkway Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Parkway 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 Parkway Elem.?
99.2% of students at Parkway Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Parkway Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Parkway Elem. is White at 61.2% of enrollment, in St Joseph, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Parkway Elem.?
Parkway Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Parkway Elem. rank among elementary schools in St Joseph?
By Resource Investment Index, Parkway Elem. ranks #10 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 Parkway Elem. a good school?
Parkway Elem. earns 43/100 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 St. Joseph?
Besides Parkway 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.