Enrollment
137
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 292541001464
Polo Elem. — Polo, MO
Federal NCES profile for Polo Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 62
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: Polo R-Vii · 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)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Polo Elem. 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
Polo Elem. reports 137 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% below the Missouri state mean of 12.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 31% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% below the Missouri average and 17% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 274 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Polo R-Vii spends $13,564 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.5% from local sources (property taxes), 37.8% from the state, and 14.7% 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 Polo Elem. 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 | 10.9:1 | ▼ 16% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.0% | ▼ 7% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 137 | top 20% | — | — |
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
43.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 24% in Missouri — lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.3%
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
$13,564
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 274 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 137 Top 20% in Missouri — larger than 80% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 10.9:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.0% -7% vs state
NCES ID 292541001464
Student demographics
White 89.8%
Two or More 3.6%
Asian 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.2%
African American 0.7%
Hispanic or Latino 0.7%
Largest group: White at 89.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 274:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.3%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polo R-Vii, which includes Polo Elem..
$13,564
Per student
-11%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 47.5%
State 37.8%
Federal 14.7%
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
- 127
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Enrollment
- 103
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
Similar other schools in Polo
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Polo Elem.
How many students attend Polo Elem.?
Polo Elem. has 137 students enrolled. It is a other school in POLO, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polo Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Polo Elem. is 10.9:1, which is 16% lower than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 31% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Polo Elem.?
43.0% of students at Polo Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Polo Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Polo Elem. is White at 89.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in POLO, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polo Elem.?
Polo Elem. 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.