Enrollment
230
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Festus, MO
Telegraph Intermediate
Federal NCES profile for Telegraph Intermediate, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 291623001725
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 72
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Telegraph Intermediate earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- #2 of 4
- elementary schools in Festus · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 20.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Telegraph Intermediate has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Telegraph Intermediate ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Festus, MO.
School address
District: Jefferson Co. R-Vii · Missouri
NCES ID 291623001725 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.1%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Telegraph Intermediate compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Telegraph Intermediate
Telegraph Intermediate is a mid-sized elementary school in Festus, Missouri, enrolling 230 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 20.1% of students eligible for free meals.
With 230 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 242 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #143.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment) (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 460 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Jefferson Co. R-Vii also operates Jefferson High School (300 students) and Danby-Rush Tower Middle (246 students) alongside Telegraph Intermediate.
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 Telegraph Intermediate compares
Telegraph Intermediate on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.1% | ▼ 56% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 230 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
230
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
20.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 63% in Missouri - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
11.3%
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
$11,250
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 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 96.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Two or More 1.3%
African American 0.9%
Largest group: White at 96.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.8, Telegraph Intermediate is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson Co. R-Vii, which includes Telegraph Intermediate.
$11,250
Per student
-13%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 78.1%
State 13.4%
Federal 8.5%
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 Telegraph Intermediate Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Danby-Rush Tower Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Plattin Primary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jefferson R-Vii Preschool | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Telegraph Intermediate's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 300
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 246
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 203
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 57
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
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 (~230 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Telegraph Intermediate's federal record.
- Compare Telegraph Intermediate against another school. Compare schools
- Jefferson Co. R-Vii'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 Telegraph Intermediate
How many students attend Telegraph Intermediate?
Telegraph Intermediate has 230 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Festus, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Telegraph Intermediate?
The student-teacher ratio at Telegraph Intermediate is 13.5:1, which is 5% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Telegraph Intermediate?
20.1% of students at Telegraph Intermediate are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Telegraph Intermediate?
The largest demographic group at Telegraph Intermediate is White at 96.5% of enrollment, in Festus, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Telegraph Intermediate?
Telegraph Intermediate 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 Telegraph Intermediate rank among elementary schools in Festus?
By Resource Investment Index, Telegraph Intermediate ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Festus, 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 Festus on the city page.
Is Telegraph Intermediate a good school?
Telegraph Intermediate earns 49/100 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 Co. R-Vii?
Besides Telegraph Intermediate, Jefferson Co. R-Vii also operates Jefferson High School (300 students), Danby-Rush Tower Middle (246 students), and Plattin Primary (203 students). See the Jefferson Co. R-Vii 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.