Enrollment
250
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · St Joseph, MO
Pickett Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Pickett Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 292706001669
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pickett Elem. earns 51/100 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
- schools in St Joseph · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.5:1
- students per teacher
- 99.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Pickett Elem. has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pickett Elem. ranks #2 of 5 schools in St Joseph, MO.
School address
District: St. Joseph · Missouri
NCES ID 292706001669 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+115% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pickett Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pickett Elem.
Pickett Elem. is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in St Joseph, Missouri, enrolling 250 students.
At 12.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Missouri median, within a few percentage points of the 12.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 99.0% of students qualify for free meals, 115% above the Missouri average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 250 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 172 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #34.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and Two or More (16%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 52/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data 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 Pickett 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 Pickett Elem. compares
Pickett 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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 2% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.0% | ▲ 115% | 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
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
250
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.0%
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
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 48% in Missouri - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.8%
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
$11,308
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
27
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.6 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 66.4%
Two or More 16.0%
Hispanic or Latino 11.2%
African American 4.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.0%
Largest group: White at 66.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.9, Pickett 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 Pickett 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 Pickett 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 | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lafayette High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Carden Park Elem | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Oak Grove Elem | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pickett 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 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.
Similar enrollment (~250 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pickett Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Pickett 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 Pickett Elem.
How many students attend Pickett Elem.?
Pickett Elem. has 250 students enrolled. It is a public school in St Joseph, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pickett Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Pickett Elem. is 12.5:1, which is 2% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pickett Elem.?
99.0% of students at Pickett Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pickett Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Pickett Elem. is White at 66.4% of enrollment, in St Joseph, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pickett Elem.?
Pickett Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pickett Elem. rank among schools in St Joseph?
By Resource Investment Index, Pickett Elem. ranks #2 of 5 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 schools in St Joseph on the city page.
Is Pickett Elem. a good school?
Pickett Elem. earns 51/100 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 St. Joseph?
Besides Pickett 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.