Enrollment
396
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Jefferson City, MO
Pioneer Trail Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Trail Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 291619003137
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 54
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pioneer Trail Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- #8 of 10
- elementary schools in Jefferson City · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.3:1
- students per teacher
- 36.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Pioneer Trail Elementary has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Trail Elementary ranks #8 of 10 elementary schools in Jefferson City, MO.
School address
District: Jefferson City · Missouri
NCES ID 291619003137 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-12% 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
What stands out at Pioneer Trail Elementary
Pioneer Trail Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Jefferson City, Missouri, enrolling 396 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 36.3% lands close to the Missouri typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 396 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 538 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #212.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Two or More (10%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 396 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Jefferson City also operates Jefferson City High (1,353 students) and Capital City High School (1,314 students) alongside Pioneer Trail Elementary.
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 Pioneer Trail Elementary compares
Pioneer Trail Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.3:1 | ▼ 12% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.3% | ▼ 21% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 396 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
396
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 31% in Missouri - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
18.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,977
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 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 46.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.8, Pioneer Trail Elementary is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson City, which includes Pioneer Trail Elementary.
$11,977
Per student
-7%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Pioneer Trail Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson City High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Capital City High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lewis and Clark Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Clarence Lawson Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pioneer Trail Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,353
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,314
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 966
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 927
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 440
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~396 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pioneer Trail Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Pioneer Trail Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Jefferson City'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 Pioneer Trail Elementary
How many students attend Pioneer Trail Elementary?
Pioneer Trail Elementary has 396 students enrolled. It is an 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 11.3:1, which is 12% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 28% 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 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% of enrollment, in Jefferson City, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer Trail Elementary?
Pioneer Trail Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Pioneer Trail Elementary rank among elementary schools in Jefferson City?
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Trail Elementary ranks #8 of 10 elementary schools in Jefferson City, 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 Jefferson City on the city page.
Is Pioneer Trail Elementary a good school?
Pioneer Trail Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. 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 Jefferson City?
Besides Pioneer Trail Elementary, Jefferson City also operates Jefferson City High (1,353 students), Capital City High School (1,314 students), and Lewis and Clark Middle (966 students). See the Jefferson City 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.