Enrollment
199
Elementary
STATE 315
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KELSO C-7·NCES 291647000895
KELSO ELEM.
820 STATE HWY A, BENTON, MO 63736 · (573) 545-3357 · Scott County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL199 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
16 FTE teachers
STATE 12.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
19%
37 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, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 16 | 8% |
| Kindergarten | 20 | 10% |
| Grade 1 | 25 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 23 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 14 | 7% |
| Grade 4 | 24 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 21 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 17 | 9% |
| Grade 7 | 20 | 10% |
| Grade 8 | 19 | 10% |
This year's kindergarten class (20) is 5% larger than its 8th grade class (19).
Student demographics
4%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
STATE 52% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
MAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
60.9%
MO avg 44.9% . -10.7pp since 2021
Math
53.9%
MO avg 43.8% . -7.5pp since 2021
What this means: On the MAP, Missouri's statewide test, about 61 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 54 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Missouri schools, those numbers are about 45 and 44. Reading and writing scores are down about 11 points since 2021, while math scores are down about 8 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Advanced | Proficient | Basic | Below Basic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 30.9% | 30.0% | 31.8% | 7.0% |
| Math | 29.2% | 24.7% | 31.8% | 14.1% |
Share of tested students at each MAP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
MAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 60.9% | 53.9% |
| 2023-24 | 52.0% | 52.0% |
| 2022-23 | 62.4% | 54.1% |
| 2021-22 | 71.6% | 61.4% |
% Proficient + Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MAP. 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
52.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
52.9%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 52% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 53% 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 →
Schools most like KELSO ELEM.
KELSO ELEM.'s state test result (52.4% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| KELSO ELEM. this school | 199 | 18.6% | 52.4% |
| LINCOLN CO EARLY CHILDHOOD CTR TROY | 211 | 19.0% | N/A |
| FATIMA ELEM. WESTPHALIA | 256 | 20.3% | 56.7% |
| BLAIR OAKS ELEM. JEFFERSON CITY | 224 | 12.9% | N/A |
| BLAIR OAKS INTERMEDIATE JEFFERSON CITY | 228 | 12.3% | 64.4% |
| ST. ELIZABETH ELEM. ST ELIZABETH | 143 | 19.6% | 79.1% |
Matched among Missouri elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where KELSO ELEM. ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Missouri | In Scott County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 52.4% | #262 of 1,002 | #1 of 8 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 53.9% | #252 of 1,019 ▲ 47 | #1 of 8 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 60.9% | #141 of 1,018 ▲ 136 | #1 of 8 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -9.1pp | #91 of 943 | #2 of 7 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 199 | #954 of 1,294 | #7 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 18.6% | #1,045 of 1,165 | #9 of 9 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
199
+47 (+31%) vs 2020
+21% since 1990-91, when it was 164
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
was 11.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 199 | 16 | 12.4:1 | 19% (37) |
| 2023-24 | 210 | 16.4 | 12.8:1 | 23% (49) |
| 2022-23 | 191 | 13.9 | 13.8:1 | 25% (48) |
| 2020-21 | 152 | 13 | 11.7:1 | 29% (44) |
| 2017-18 | 130 | 13.2 | 9.8:1 | 36% (47) |
| 2015-16 | 125 | 12 | 10.4:1 | 45% (56) |
| 2010-11 | 95 | 12 | 7.9:1 | 29% (28) |
| 2000-01 | 148 | 12 | 12.3:1 | 11% (17) |
| 1990-91 | 164 | 8 | 20.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for KELSO ELEM..
Since 2017-18: students up 53% (130 to 199); teachers up 21% (13.2 to 16).
About KELSO ELEM.
KELSO ELEM. is a small elementary school serving families in BENTON, Missouri. It educates 199 students in pre-K through 8. The school's enrollment is 37% smaller than the 315 average for elementary schools in Missouri.
KELSO ELEM. is administered by KELSO C-7.
KELSO ELEM. enrolls a student body that is 98% White. Census figures show Scott County is about 82% White. The chance that two students picked at random at KELSO ELEM. belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 4%.
Its 16 full-time-equivalent teachers give the school a ratio of 12.4:1. Elementary schools in Missouri average about 12.4:1, a similar figure. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 19%. The rate at public schools in Scott County averages 78%, higher than here.
KELSO ELEM.'s actual average proficiency rate on state tests (52.4%) and its predicted rate (52.9%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Missouri schools.
County data help place the school in context: in Scott County, median household income is about $62,782, about 22% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 9%. KELSO ELEM. is among the 22 public schools in Scott County.
ORAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is the nearest neighboring public school, about 4.5 miles away. A five-mile radius around the school includes 2 other public schools. KELSO ELEM. ranks 2nd of 9 among nearby schools on average proficiency, with 52.4% against a local average of 41.7%.
Under the NCES locale system, KELSO ELEM. is Rural: Distant.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count grew from 152 to 199.
Questions about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week can be posted here. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Scott County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
37,933
Census ACS
Median income
$62,782
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
22
5,999 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in BENTON
- SCOTT CO. ELEM.Elementary · 410 students
- THOMAS W. KELLY HIGHHigh · 297 students
- SCOTT CO. MIDDLEMiddle · 195 students
Other KELSO Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named KELSO Elementary. KELSO ELEM. is the 3rd largest of the 3.
- Kelso Elementary SchoolHOUSTON, TX · 364 students
- Kelso Elementary SchoolBoring, OR · 350 students
Nearby schools
- ORAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL4.5 mi · 139
- ORAN HIGH SCHOOL4.5 mi · 165
- CHAFFEE ELEM.5.5 mi · 293
- CHAFFEE JR.-SR. HIGH5.8 mi · 269
- SCOTT CITY HIGH6.3 mi · 268
- SCOTT CITY MIDDLE6.3 mi · 223
Frequently asked questions
About KELSO ELEM.How many students attend KELSO ELEM.?
KELSO ELEM. enrolls approximately 199 students in grades PK-08.
What grades does KELSO ELEM. serve?
KELSO ELEM. serves grades PK-08.
How many students per teacher at KELSO ELEM.?
Approximately 12.4:1 students per teacher at KELSO ELEM..
How diverse is KELSO ELEM.?
KELSO ELEM. reports a student body of 98% White, 2% Black, 1% Two or more.
Is KELSO ELEM. public or private?
KELSO ELEM. is a public K-12 school, overseen by KELSO C-7.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.