Enrollment
256
Elementary
STATE 315
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DENT-PHELPS R-III·NCES 291071000360
DENT-PHELPS ELEM.
27870 Hwy C, SALEM, MO 65560 · (573) 729-4680 · Dent County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL256 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.0:1
23 FTE teachers
STATE 12.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
50%
128 students
STATE 54%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
MO DVT (Growth) 2024-25 . Growth Percentile vs PeersEnglish Language Arts
60.0%
MO avg 49.5% . -9.3pp since 2023
Math
46.2%
MO avg 48.7% . -35.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the MO DVT (Growth), Missouri's statewide test, about 60 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 46 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Missouri schools, those numbers are about 50 and 49. Reading and writing scores are down about 9 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 36 points.
Source: MO DVT (Growth). All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
57.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.3%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 58% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 50% typical for Missouri schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Missouri's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
256
+5 (+2%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
11.0:1
was 10.2:1
% White
96%
was 96%
% Hispanic
2%
was 2%
% Black
1%
was 2%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About DENT-PHELPS ELEM.
DENT-PHELPS ELEM. is one of the cozy elementary campuss in SALEM, Missouri, operated by DENT-PHELPS R-III, with 256 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 8.
Operationally, DENT-PHELPS ELEM. answers to DENT-PHELPS R-III, which sets policy, hires staff, and reports enrollment to the state.
On demographics, DENT-PHELPS ELEM. reports that nearly all students (96%) are White. That composition is broadly in line with Dent County as a whole.
On the resource side, On paper, DENT-PHELPS ELEM. has 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.0:1. The state averages around 12.4:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 50% of students at DENT-PHELPS ELEM. qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Dent County (around 73%), the school's rate is south of typical.
On a demographically-adjusted basis, DENT-PHELPS ELEM. sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 50.3%; this one delivers 57.7%.
Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Dent County) logs that median household earnings sit near $56,312, 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. DENT-PHELPS ELEM. is one of 9 public schools in Dent County (combined enrollment of about 2,169 students).
Nearest neighbor: SALEM SR. HIGH, around 7.6 miles off. Within ten miles, there are 6 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas. On composite proficiency, DENT-PHELPS ELEM. comes 3rd of 7 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 43.3%.
Geographically, the school is in an outlying area.
Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at DENT-PHELPS ELEM. has held roughly steady, going from 251 students in 2018 to 256 in 2025.
Within the allk12 community for this school, members of the DENT-PHELPS ELEM. community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.
Dent County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
14,539
Census ACS
Median income
$56,312
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
17%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
9
2,169 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in SALEM
- SALEM SR. HIGHHigh · 606 students
- SALEM UPPER ELEM.Elementary · 335 students
- WM. H. LYNCH ELEM.Elementary · 257 students
- SALEM MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 254 students
- NORTH WOOD ELEM.Elementary · 155 students
- GREEN FOREST ELEM.Elementary · 152 students
Nearby schools
- SALEM SR. HIGH7.6 mi · 606
- SALEM MIDDLE SCHOOL7.7 mi · 254
- WM. H. LYNCH ELEM.8.3 mi · 257
- NORTH WOOD ELEM.8.4 mi · 155
- OZARK HILLS SCHOOL8.8 mi · 5
- SALEM UPPER ELEM.9.3 mi · 335
Frequently asked questions
About DENT-PHELPS ELEM.How large is DENT-PHELPS ELEM.?
DENT-PHELPS ELEM. enrolls approximately 256 students in grades PK-08.
Is DENT-PHELPS ELEM. an elementary, middle, or high school?
DENT-PHELPS ELEM. is an elementary school covering grades PK-08.
How many teachers does DENT-PHELPS ELEM. have?
DENT-PHELPS ELEM. employs 23 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.0:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at DENT-PHELPS ELEM.?
At DENT-PHELPS ELEM., the student body is approximately 96% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% Black, 2% Asian.
Who oversees DENT-PHELPS ELEM.?
DENT-PHELPS ELEM. is overseen by DENT-PHELPS R-III in Dent County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.