Enrollment
486
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 290462000053
Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest — Belton, MO
Federal NCES profile for Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 50
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: Belton 124 · 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.2%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest 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
Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest reports 486 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% 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 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 43% below the Missouri average and 49% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 486 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Belton 124 spends $15,431 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 51.1% from local sources (property taxes), 34.8% from the state, and 14.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest 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 | 15.3:1 | ▲ 19% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.2% | ▼ 43% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 486 | top 77% | — | — |
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
26.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 43% 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
15.3:1
students per teacher
— 19% above state mean
Top 83% in Missouri — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,431
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 486 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 486 Top 77% in Missouri — larger than 23% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 15.3:1 +19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.2% -43% vs state
NCES ID 290462000053
Student demographics
White 66.5%
Hispanic or Latino 15.8%
Two or More 9.1%
African American 7.8%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 66.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 486:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.0%
In-school suspensions 16
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belton 124, which includes Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest.
$15,431
Per student
+1%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 51.1%
State 34.8%
Federal 14.0%
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
- 1,258
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 641
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 355
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Belton
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Cambridge Elem.
Standard public school
501 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Mill Creek Upper Elem.
Standard public school
435 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Kentucky Trail Elem.
Standard public school
355 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Gladden Elem.
Standard public school
326 students 13.6:1 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 Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest
How many students attend Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest?
Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest has 486 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in BELTON, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest?
The student-teacher ratio at Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest is 15.3:1, which is 19% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest?
26.2% of students at Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest?
The largest demographic group at Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest is White at 66.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in BELTON, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest?
Wilckens Steam Acad @Hillcrest has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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.