Enrollment
419
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 290531000086
Thomas J. Ultican Elem. — Blue Springs, MO
Federal NCES profile for Thomas J. Ultican Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 69
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 →
The verdict
Thomas J. Ultican Elem. earns a D Resource Investment Index (49/100), with class sizes larger than 78% of Missouri schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 49/100
- 14.8:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 30.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 419
- students enrolled
School address
District: Blue Springs R-Iv · 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.2%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas J. Ultican Elem. 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
Thomas J. Ultican Elem. reports 419 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 7% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 34% below the Missouri average and 42% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 419 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Blue Springs R-Iv spends $15,073 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 66.8% from local sources (property taxes), 25.6% from the state, and 7.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Thomas J. Ultican Elem. 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 | 14.8:1 | ▲ 15% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.2% | ▼ 34% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 419 | top 69% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
15 smaller classes than 51% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
419 larger than 50% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
30.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 34% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 78% in Missouri — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
12.6%
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
$15,073
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 419 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 419 Top 69% in Missouri — larger than 31% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 14.8:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.2% -34% vs state
NCES ID 290531000086
Student demographics
White 67.1%
Hispanic or Latino 12.4%
African American 10.3%
Two or More 7.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 67.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 419:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.6%
In-school suspensions 17
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Blue Springs R-Iv, which includes Thomas J. Ultican Elem..
$15,073
Per student
-1%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 66.8%
State 25.6%
Federal 7.6%
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
- 2,429
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,299
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 919
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 831
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 813
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Blue Springs
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Cordill-Mason Elem.
Standard public school
681 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Lucy Franklin Elem.
Standard public school
536 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
William Bryant Elem.
Standard public school
529 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Sunny Pointe Elem.
Standard public school
506 students 14:1 students per teacher
John Nowlin Elem.
Standard public school
460 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
James Walker Elem.
Standard public school
456 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
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 Thomas J. Ultican Elem.
How many students attend Thomas J. Ultican Elem.?
Thomas J. Ultican Elem. has 419 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in BLUE SPRINGS, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas J. Ultican Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas J. Ultican Elem. is 14.8:1, which is 15% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thomas J. Ultican Elem.?
30.2% of students at Thomas J. Ultican Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas J. Ultican Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Thomas J. Ultican Elem. is White at 67.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in BLUE SPRINGS, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas J. Ultican Elem.?
Thomas J. Ultican Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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.