Enrollment
395
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Joplin, MO
Soaring Heights Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Soaring Heights Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 291635000773
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Soaring Heights Elem. earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #7 of 10
- elementary schools in Joplin · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.3:1
- students per teacher
- 45.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Soaring Heights Elem. has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Soaring Heights Elem. ranks #7 of 10 elementary schools in Joplin, MO.
School address
District: Joplin Schools · Missouri
NCES ID 291635000773 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.7%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Soaring Heights Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Soaring Heights Elem.
Soaring Heights Elem. is a mid-sized elementary school in Joplin, Missouri, enrolling 395 students.
At 12.3:1, 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 runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 45.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 395 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 474 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #198.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and Hispanic or Latino (12%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 395 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Joplin Schools spends $9,800 per pupil, 24% below the Missouri average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Joplin Schools also operates Joplin High (2,288 students) and South Middle (596 students) alongside Soaring Heights 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 Soaring Heights Elem. compares
Soaring Heights 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 | 12.3:1 | ▼ 4% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.7% | ▼ 1% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 395 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
395
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% 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
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 44% in Missouri - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
18.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$9,800
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 395 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.4 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 68.1%
Hispanic or Latino 12.2%
Two or More 8.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3.8%
African American 3.5%
Asian 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 68.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.0, Soaring Heights Elem. is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Joplin Schools, which includes Soaring Heights Elem..
$9,800
Per student
-24%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.9%
State 26.1%
Federal 19.0%
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 Soaring Heights Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joplin High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cecil Floyd Elem. | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Soaring Heights Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,288
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 592
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 549
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 532
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~395 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Soaring Heights Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Soaring Heights Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Joplin Schools'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 Soaring Heights Elem.
How many students attend Soaring Heights Elem.?
Soaring Heights Elem. has 395 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Joplin, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Soaring Heights Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Soaring Heights Elem. is 12.3:1, which is 4% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 22% 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 Soaring Heights Elem.?
45.7% of students at Soaring Heights Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Soaring Heights Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Soaring Heights Elem. is White at 68.1% of enrollment, in Joplin, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Soaring Heights Elem.?
Soaring Heights Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Soaring Heights Elem. rank among elementary schools in Joplin?
By Resource Investment Index, Soaring Heights Elem. ranks #7 of 10 elementary schools in Joplin, 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 Joplin on the city page.
Is Soaring Heights Elem. a good school?
Soaring Heights Elem. earns 49/100 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 Joplin Schools?
Besides Soaring Heights Elem., Joplin Schools also operates Joplin High (2,288 students), South Middle (596 students), and East Middle (592 students). See the Joplin Schools 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.