Enrollment
353
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Springfield, MO
Sunshine Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Sunshine Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 292886001828
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sunshine Elem. earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Missouri schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #15 of 17
- elementary schools in Springfield · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.3:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 65.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Sunshine Elem. has class sizes larger than 82% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sunshine Elem. ranks #15 of 17 elementary schools in Springfield, MO.
School address
District: Springfield R-Xii · Missouri
NCES ID 292886001828 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.2%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sunshine Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sunshine Elem.
Sunshine Elem. is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Springfield, Missouri, enrolling 353 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 65.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 353 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 158 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #82.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Hispanic or Latino (12%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 54/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 353 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Its district draws 15.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 106 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 353 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Springfield R-Xii also operates Kickapoo High (1,923 students) and Central High (1,428 students) alongside Sunshine 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 Sunshine Elem. compares
Sunshine 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 | 15.3:1 | ▲ 20% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.2% | ▲ 41% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 353 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
353
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 82% in Missouri - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Funding equity
$13,404
per pupil, district-wide
- above Missouri avg of $12,931
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 353 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
61
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 30.0 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 65.4%
Hispanic or Latino 11.9%
African American 11.3%
Two or More 9.1%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 65.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.7, Sunshine Elem. is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Springfield R-Xii, which includes Sunshine Elem..
$13,404
Per student
+4%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.1%
State 21.8%
Federal 15.1%
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 Sunshine Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kickapoo High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Central High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Glendale High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Parkview High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hillcrest High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sunshine Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,923
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 1,428
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 1,357
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,182
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,065
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
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 (~353 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sunshine Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Sunshine Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Springfield R-Xii'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 Sunshine Elem.
How many students attend Sunshine Elem.?
Sunshine Elem. has 353 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Springfield, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunshine Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Sunshine Elem. is 15.3:1, which is 20% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sunshine Elem.?
65.2% of students at Sunshine Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sunshine Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Sunshine Elem. is White at 65.4% of enrollment, in Springfield, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunshine Elem.?
Sunshine Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sunshine Elem. rank among elementary schools in Springfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Sunshine Elem. ranks #15 of 17 elementary schools in Springfield, 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 Springfield on the city page.
Is Sunshine Elem. a good school?
Sunshine Elem. earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Missouri schools. 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 Springfield R-Xii?
Besides Sunshine Elem., Springfield R-Xii also operates Kickapoo High (1,923 students), Central High (1,428 students), and Glendale High (1,357 students). See the Springfield R-Xii 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.