Enrollment
15
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chillicothe, MO
Verelle Peniston School
Federal NCES profile for Verelle Peniston School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 290002203055
👥 S:T ratio 80
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Verelle Peniston School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Missouri schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Missouri.
- #6 of 6
- public schools in Chillicothe · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 5:1
- small classes for Missouri
- 18.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Verelle Peniston School has class sizes smaller than 97% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Verelle Peniston School ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Chillicothe, MO.
School address
District: Mo Schls for the Sev Disabled · Missouri
NCES ID 290002203055 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-61% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
18.8%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Verelle Peniston School compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Verelle Peniston School
Verelle Peniston School is a lower-poverty, small combined-grade school in Chillicothe, Missouri, enrolling 15 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5:1, Verelle Peniston School is leaner than roughly 97% of Missouri schools and 61% under the state's 12.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 18.8% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 98% of Missouri schools, with 15 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 35/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Mo Schls for the Sev Disabled also operates Helen M Davis School (43 students) and Shady Grove School (39 students) alongside Verelle Peniston School.
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 Verelle Peniston School compares
Verelle Peniston School on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 5:1 | ▼ 61% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 18.8% | ▼ 59% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 15 | top 98% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
15
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
18.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
5:1
students per teacher
- 61% below state mean
Top 3% in Missouri - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
60.0%
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.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 80.0%
African American 6.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Two or More 6.7%
Largest group: White at 80.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.7, Verelle Peniston School is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
How Verelle Peniston School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helen M Davis School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shady Grove School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mapaville School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Greene Valley School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Maple Valley School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Verelle Peniston School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 43
- Students per teacher
- 7.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 39
- Students per teacher
- 6.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 37
- Students per teacher
- 7.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 35
- Students per teacher
- 8.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 35
- Students per teacher
- 4.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
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 (~15 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Verelle Peniston School's federal record.
- Compare Verelle Peniston School against another school. Compare schools
- Mo Schls for the Sev Disabled'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 Verelle Peniston School
How many students attend Verelle Peniston School?
Verelle Peniston School has 15 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Chillicothe, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Verelle Peniston School?
The student-teacher ratio at Verelle Peniston School is 5:1, which is 61% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 68% 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 Verelle Peniston School?
18.8% of students at Verelle Peniston School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Verelle Peniston School?
The largest demographic group at Verelle Peniston School is White at 80.0% of enrollment, in Chillicothe, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Verelle Peniston School?
Verelle Peniston School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Verelle Peniston School rank among public schools in Chillicothe?
By Resource Investment Index, Verelle Peniston School ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Chillicothe, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Chillicothe on the city page.
Is Verelle Peniston School a good school?
Verelle Peniston School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Missouri schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Missouri. 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 Mo Schls for the Sev Disabled?
Besides Verelle Peniston School, Mo Schls for the Sev Disabled also operates Helen M Davis School (43 students), Shady Grove School (39 students), and Mapaville School (37 students). See the Mo Schls for the Sev Disabled 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.