Enrollment
574
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Independence, MO
Sycamore Hills Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Sycamore Hills Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 291548000721
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sycamore Hills Elem. earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Missouri schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #14 of 22
- schools in Independence · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 43.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Sycamore Hills Elem. has class sizes larger than 96% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sycamore Hills Elem. ranks #14 of 22 schools in Independence, MO.
School address
District: Independence 30 · Missouri
NCES ID 291548000721 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+45% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.8%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sycamore Hills Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sycamore Hills Elem.
Sycamore Hills Elem. is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Independence, Missouri, enrolling 574 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.5:1 is larger than about 96% of Missouri schools and 45% above the 12.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.8% lands close to the Missouri typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 574 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Among 380 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #309, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (51%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 574 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 21.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Independence 30 also operates Truman High (1,720 students) and William Chrisman High (1,417 students) alongside Sycamore Hills 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 Sycamore Hills Elem. compares
Sycamore Hills 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 45% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.8% | ▼ 5% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 574 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
574
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 45% above state mean
Top 96% in Missouri - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,956
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 574 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 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 50.7%
Hispanic or Latino 28.0%
African American 10.8%
Two or More 8.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 50.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.6, Sycamore Hills Elem. is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Independence 30, which includes Sycamore Hills Elem..
$11,956
Per student
-8%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.9%
State 35.3%
Federal 21.8%
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 Sycamore Hills Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truman High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| William Chrisman High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Van Horn High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Clifford H. Nowlin Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bridger Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sycamore Hills Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,720
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,417
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,067
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 902
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 744
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar other 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 (~574 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sycamore Hills Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Sycamore Hills Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Independence 30'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 Sycamore Hills Elem.
How many students attend Sycamore Hills Elem.?
Sycamore Hills Elem. has 574 students enrolled. It is a public school in Independence, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sycamore Hills Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Sycamore Hills Elem. is 18.5:1, which is 45% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sycamore Hills Elem.?
43.8% of students at Sycamore Hills Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sycamore Hills Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Sycamore Hills Elem. is White at 50.7% of enrollment, in Independence, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sycamore Hills Elem.?
Sycamore Hills Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical 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 Sycamore Hills Elem. rank among schools in Independence?
By Resource Investment Index, Sycamore Hills Elem. ranks #14 of 22 schools in Independence, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Independence on the city page.
Is Sycamore Hills Elem. a good school?
Sycamore Hills Elem. earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% 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 Independence 30?
Besides Sycamore Hills Elem., Independence 30 also operates Truman High (1,720 students), William Chrisman High (1,417 students), and Van Horn High (1,067 students). See the Independence 30 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.