BALLARD ELEM.

Set in BUTLER, Missouri, BALLARD ELEM. is a micro-enrollment elementary-level community, run under BALLARD R-II. It enrolls 57 students across grades pre-K through 6. Compared to the state average of about 315 students per school, that is 82% below typical.

Within BALLARD R-II, which oversees 2 schools and 116 students, BALLARD ELEM. is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, BALLARD ELEM. shows that the student body is overwhelmingly White (95%); the rest comes out to 5% Hispanic. Compared to Bates County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

In terms of school funding signals, The school currently runs with 8 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 6.9:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 12.4:1 average. Around 58% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Bates County runs at roughly 41%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, BALLARD ELEM. tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 50.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 62.8%.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Bates County) records that the typical household earns roughly $60,733 per year, roughly 15% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. BALLARD ELEM. is one of 15 public schools in Bates County (combined enrollment of about 2,514 students).

The closest other public school is BALLARD HIGH, roughly 0.0 miles away. On composite proficiency, BALLARD ELEM. comes 1st of 7 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 31.1%.

The school occupies a countryside site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 19%: 70 students in 2018 compared to 57 in 2025. Asian enrollment moved from 4% to 0% across the same window.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.