Enrollment
101
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Zalma, MO
Zalma Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Zalma Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 293249002269
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 88
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Zalma Elem. earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.1:1
- small classes for Missouri
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 101
- students enrolled
Zalma Elem. has class sizes smaller than 80% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.1:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+117% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Zalma Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Zalma Elem.
Zalma Elem. is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Zalma, Missouri, enrolling 101 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 100.0% of students qualify for free meals, 117% above the Missouri average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 101 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 49 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #7.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 202 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 28.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Zalma R-V, also runs Zalma High (73 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 Zalma Elem. compares
Zalma 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 | 10.1:1 | ▼ 21% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 117% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 101 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.1:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
101
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 117% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.1:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 20% in Missouri - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
5.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$13,014
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 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 97.0%
African American 2.0%
Two or More 1.0%
Largest group: White at 97.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.9, Zalma Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Zalma R-V, which includes Zalma Elem..
$13,014
Per student
+1%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.0%
State 42.3%
Federal 28.7%
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 Zalma Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zalma High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Zalma Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 73
- Students per teacher
- 9.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~101 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Zalma Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Zalma Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Zalma R-V'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 Zalma Elem.
How many students attend Zalma Elem.?
Zalma Elem. has 101 students enrolled. It is a public school in Zalma, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Zalma Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Zalma Elem. is 10.1:1, which is 21% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 36% 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 Zalma Elem.?
100.0% of students at Zalma Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Zalma Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Zalma Elem. is White at 97.0% of enrollment, in Zalma, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Zalma Elem.?
Zalma Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (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 Zalma Elem. a good school?
Zalma Elem. earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Zalma R-V?
Besides Zalma Elem., Zalma R-V also operates Zalma High (73 students). See the Zalma R-V 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.