Enrollment
230
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 291623001725
Telegraph Intermediate — Festus, MO
Federal NCES profile for Telegraph Intermediate, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 72
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: Jefferson Co. 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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+9% 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
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
Telegraph Intermediate reports 230 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% above the Missouri state mean of 12.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 20.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% below the Missouri average and 61% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 460 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jefferson Co. R-Vii spends $12,232 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 78.1% from local sources (property taxes), 13.4% from the state, and 8.5% 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 Telegraph Intermediate 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 | 14.1:1 | ▲ 9% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.1% | ▼ 56% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 230 | top 35% | — | — |
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
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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 70% in Missouri — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
11.3%
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
$12,232
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 460 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 230 Top 35% in Missouri — larger than 65% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 20.1% -56% vs state
NCES ID 291623001725
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 460:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.3%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson Co. R-Vii, which includes Telegraph Intermediate.
$12,232
Per student
-20%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 300
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 246
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 203
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 57
- Students per teacher
- 31:1
Similar elementary schools in Festus
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Telegraph Intermediate
How many students attend Telegraph Intermediate?
Telegraph Intermediate has 230 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in FESTUS, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Telegraph Intermediate?
The student-teacher ratio at Telegraph Intermediate is 14.1:1, which is 9% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in FESTUS, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Telegraph Intermediate?
Telegraph Intermediate 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.