DEAR ELEM.

DEAR ELEM. is one of the mid-tier K-5 schools in RICHMOND, Missouri, one of the schools within RICHMOND R-XVI, with 300 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 1.

RICHMOND R-XVI runs 4 schools in total, collectively educating 1,543 students. DEAR ELEM. is one of those campuses.

Demographically, DEAR ELEM. records that 88% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. Other groups include 9% multiracial, 2% Hispanic.

On the resource side, On paper, DEAR ELEM. has 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 10.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 12.4:1, putting DEAR ELEM. tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 56% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is noticeably above Ray County's rate of about 39%.

Around the school, Ray County reports that median household income runs about $74,573, 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. In all, Ray County runs 12 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,423 students), of which DEAR ELEM. is one.

Nearest neighbor: RICHMOND HIGH, around 0.6 miles off. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count grew 48%: 203 students in 2018 compared to 300 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.