Enrollment
396
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 291619003137
Pioneer Trail Elementary — Jefferson City, MO
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Trail Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 54
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: Jefferson City · 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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.3%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pioneer Trail Elementary 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
Pioneer Trail Elementary reports 396 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the Missouri state mean of 12.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 36.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% below the Missouri average and 30% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 396 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jefferson City spends $13,972 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 66.7% from local sources (property taxes), 19.0% from the state, and 14.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), 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 Pioneer Trail Elementary 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 | 13.6:1 | ▲ 5% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.3% | ▼ 21% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 396 | top 64% | — | — |
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
36.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 21% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 62% in Missouri — lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
18.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,972
per pupil, district-wide
— below 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 396 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 396 Top 64% in Missouri — larger than 36% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 13.6:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 36.3% -21% vs state
NCES ID 291619003137
Student demographics
White 71.2%
Two or More 10.4%
Hispanic or Latino 8.8%
African American 8.1%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 71.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 396:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.4%
In-school suspensions 18
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson City, which includes Pioneer Trail Elementary.
$13,972
Per student
-8%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 66.7%
State 19.0%
Federal 14.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,353
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,314
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 966
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 927
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 440
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Jefferson City
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Clarence Lawson Elem.
Standard public school
440 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Belair Elem.
Standard public school
363 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Moreau Heights Elem.
Standard public school
324 students 9.9:1 students per teacher
West Elem.
Standard public school
317 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Cedar Hill Elem.
Standard public school
313 students 12:1 students per teacher
South Elem.
Standard public school
302 students 12:1 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 Pioneer Trail Elementary
How many students attend Pioneer Trail Elementary?
Pioneer Trail Elementary has 396 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in JEFFERSON CITY, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Trail Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Trail Elementary is 13.6:1, which is 5% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pioneer Trail Elementary?
36.3% of students at Pioneer Trail Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pioneer Trail Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pioneer Trail Elementary is White at 71.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in JEFFERSON CITY, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer Trail Elementary?
Pioneer Trail Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.