Enrollment
285
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · St Joseph, MO
Pershing Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Pershing Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 292706001668
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pershing Elem. earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Missouri schools.
- #4 of 10
- elementary schools in St Joseph · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 50.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Pershing Elem. has class sizes larger than 79% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pershing Elem. ranks #4 of 10 elementary schools in St Joseph, MO.
School address
District: St. Joseph · Missouri
NCES ID 292706001668 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.9%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pershing Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pershing Elem.
Pershing Elem. is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in St Joseph, Missouri, enrolling 285 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 50.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 285 students, its enrollment sits close to the Missouri median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 345 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #109.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 285 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
17.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
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 Pershing 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 Pershing Elem. compares
Pershing 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 | 15:1 | ▲ 17% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.9% | ▲ 10% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 285 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
285
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% 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
15:1
students per teacher
- 17% above state mean
Top 79% in Missouri - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
17.9%
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 285 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.5 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 70.9%
Hispanic or Latino 11.2%
Two or More 11.2%
African American 4.9%
Asian 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 70.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.0, Pershing 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 Pershing 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 Pershing 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 | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Carden Park Elem | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oak Grove Elem | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pershing 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 (~285 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pershing Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Pershing 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 Pershing Elem.
How many students attend Pershing Elem.?
Pershing Elem. has 285 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in St Joseph, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pershing Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Pershing Elem. is 15:1, which is 17% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pershing Elem.?
50.9% of students at Pershing Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pershing Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Pershing Elem. is White at 70.9% of enrollment, in St Joseph, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pershing Elem.?
Pershing Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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 Pershing Elem. rank among elementary schools in St Joseph?
By Resource Investment Index, Pershing Elem. ranks #4 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 Pershing Elem. a good school?
Pershing Elem. earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of 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 Pershing 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.