Enrollment
245
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Van Buren, MO
Van Buren Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Van Buren Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 293075002122
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 76
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Van Buren Elem. earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Missouri schools.
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.8:1
- small classes for Missouri
- 59.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 245
- students enrolled
Van Buren Elem. has class sizes smaller than 83% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Van Buren R-I · Missouri
NCES ID 293075002122 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.1%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Van Buren Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Van Buren Elem.
Van Buren Elem. is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Van Buren, Missouri, enrolling 245 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 59.1% of students eligible for free meals.
With 245 students, its enrollment sits close to the Missouri median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 170 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #48.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment) (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 123 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Its district, Van Buren R-I, also runs Van Buren High (221 students).
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 Van Buren Elem. compares
Van Buren 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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 23% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.1% | ▲ 28% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 245 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.8:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
245
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
9.8:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 17% in Missouri - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,495
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 123 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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 96.7%
Hispanic or Latino 1.2%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: White at 96.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.5, Van Buren Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Van Buren R-I, which includes Van Buren Elem..
$10,495
Per student
-19%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.6%
State 39.5%
Federal 19.9%
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 Van Buren Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Van Buren Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 221
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
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 (~245 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Van Buren Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Van Buren Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Van Buren R-I'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 Van Buren Elem.
How many students attend Van Buren Elem.?
Van Buren Elem. has 245 students enrolled. It is a public school in Van Buren, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Van Buren Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Van Buren Elem. is 9.8:1, which is 23% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 38% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Van Buren Elem.?
59.1% of students at Van Buren Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Van Buren Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Van Buren Elem. is White at 96.7% of enrollment, in Van Buren, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Van Buren Elem.?
Van Buren Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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).
Is Van Buren Elem. a good school?
Van Buren Elem. earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of 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 Van Buren R-I?
Besides Van Buren Elem., Van Buren R-I also operates Van Buren High (221 students). See the Van Buren R-I 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.