BELLE ELEM.

As a small elementary-level community in BELLE, Missouri, BELLE ELEM. educates 259 students from grades pre-K through 4, part of MARIES CO. R-II.

BELLE ELEM. is one of 3 schools operated by MARIES CO. R-II, a district that works with 680 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, BELLE ELEM. shows that 97% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 10.5:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 12.4:1, putting BELLE ELEM. tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 47% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

With demographic context factored in, BELLE ELEM. is in the bottom 10% of Missouri public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 50.4%; BELLE ELEM. posts 12.8%, -37.6 points below that line.

Across the wider county, census data for Maries County shows median household income runs about $59,455, roughly 16% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Maries County runs 5 public schools (combined enrollment of about 927 students), of which BELLE ELEM. is one.

BELLE HIGH is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Within ten miles, there are 2 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts BELLE ELEM. at 9th of 9; the average score across the group is 49.6%.

The campus sits in an outlying setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 5%: 274 students in 2018 compared to 259 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 11.9:1 in 2018 to 10.5:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.