NELL HOLCOMB ELEM.

NELL HOLCOMB ELEM. is a low-enrollment primary school in CAPE GIRARDEAU, Missouri, operated by NELL HOLCOMB R-IV. The school works with 249 students in grades pre-K through 8. By comparison, Missouri's public schools average about 315 students each, so NELL HOLCOMB ELEM. sits 21% below that benchmark.

NELL HOLCOMB ELEM. sits inside NELL HOLCOMB R-IV, the local public-school operator responsible for the campus.

For racial and ethnic makeup, NELL HOLCOMB ELEM. records that nearly all students (85%) are White. Beyond that, the school lists 10% Black, 2% Hispanic. That composition is broadly in line with Cape Girardeau County as a whole.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, NELL HOLCOMB ELEM. has 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 8.6:1. The state averages around 12.4:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 37% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Cape Girardeau County (around 62%), the school's rate is somewhat below typical.

After controlling for student poverty, NELL HOLCOMB ELEM. performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 50.6%, the actual is 49.1%, a residual of -1.4 points.

Around the school, census data for Cape Girardeau County shows the typical household earns roughly $68,464 per year, 33% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Cape Girardeau County runs 27 public schools (combined enrollment of about 11,025 students), of which NELL HOLCOMB ELEM. is one.

Nearest neighbor: BLANCHARD ELEM., around 4.8 miles off. Within ten miles, there are 8 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts NELL HOLCOMB ELEM. at 3rd of 8; the average score across the group is 45.5%.

The school occupies a rural site.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at NELL HOLCOMB ELEM. has decreased 11%, going from 280 students in 2018 to 249 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 11.2:1 in 2018 to 8.6:1 today.

On allk12, members of the NELL HOLCOMB ELEM. community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.