Enrollment
389
Elementary
STATE 315
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RICHARDS R-V·NCES 292637001546
RICHARDS ELEM.
3461 COUNTY RD 1710, WEST PLAINS, MO 65775 · (417) 256-5239 · Howell County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL389 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 72% of Missouri public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- A-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Missouri public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
15.0:1
26 FTE teachers
STATE 12.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
63%
245 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 | 29 | 7% |
| Kindergarten | 46 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 44 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 37 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 42 | 11% |
| Grade 4 | 45 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 34 | 9% |
| Grade 6 | 39 | 10% |
| Grade 7 | 32 | 8% |
| Grade 8 | 41 | 11% |
This year's kindergarten class (46) is 12% larger than its 8th grade class (41).
Student demographics
9%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
38.8%
MO avg 44.9% . -0.2pp since 2021
Math
52.1%
MO avg 43.8% . +12.8pp since 2021
What this means: On the MAP, Missouri's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 52 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Missouri schools, those numbers are about 45 and 44. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2021, while math scores are up about 13 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Advanced | Proficient | Basic | Below Basic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 11.9% | 26.9% | 42.4% | 18.5% |
| Math | 21.2% | 30.9% | 29.2% | 18.5% |
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 | 38.8% | 52.1% |
| 2023-24 | 47.3% | 43.7% |
| 2022-23 | 38.5% | 39.8% |
| 2021-22 | 39.0% | 39.3% |
% 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
45.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.3%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 45% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 36% 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 RICHARDS ELEM.
RICHARDS ELEM.'s state test result (45.2% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| RICHARDS ELEM. this school | 389 | 63.0% | 45.2% |
| WEST COUNTY ELEM. PARK HILLS | 390 | 62.1% | 47.7% |
| FREDERICKTOWN INTERMEDIATE FREDERICKTOWN | 393 | 60.3% | 45.7% |
| EAST CARTER CO. R-II ELEM. ELLSINORE | 364 | 65.4% | 59.4% |
| MARIONVILLE ELEM Marionville | 370 | 60.0% | 47.4% |
| MOUNTAIN VIEW ELEM. MOUNTAIN VIEW | 396 | 65.7% | 53.4% |
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 RICHARDS ELEM. ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Missouri | In Howell County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 45.2% | #412 of 1,002 | #5 of 9 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.1% | #286 of 1,019 ▲ 169 | #3 of 9 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 38.8% | #624 of 1,018 ▼ 227 | #8 of 9 ▼ 5 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +6.3pp | #234 of 943 | #4 of 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 389 | #427 of 1,294 | #5 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.0:1 | #817 of 950 | #6 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 8.9% | #880 of 953 | #6 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 63.0% | #398 of 1,165 | #4 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -6.0% | #544 of 684 | #4 of 7 |
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
389
+25 (+7%) vs 2020
+35% since 1990-91, when it was 289
Student : Teacher
15.0:1
was 14.0:1
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 | 389 | 26 | 15.0:1 | 63% (245) |
| 2023-24 | 385 | 27 | 14.3:1 | 64% (246) |
| 2022-23 | 372 | 27 | 13.8:1 | 63% (236) |
| 2020-21 | 364 | 26 | 14.0:1 | 66% (240) |
| 2017-18 | 414 | 24.5 | 16.9:1 | 68% (282) |
| 2015-16 | 408 | 28 | 14.6:1 | 63% (256) |
| 2010-11 | 443 | 25 | 17.7:1 | 58% (258) |
| 2000-01 | 552 | 32 | 17.3:1 | 43% (237) |
| 1990-91 | 289 | 22 | 13.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for RICHARDS ELEM..
Since 2017-18: students down 6% (414 to 389); teachers up 6% (24.5 to 26).
About RICHARDS ELEM.
RICHARDS ELEM. is a public elementary school run by RICHARDS R-V in WEST PLAINS, Missouri. The school reports 389 students in pre-K through 8. The typical figure for elementary schools in Missouri is about 315 students.
RICHARDS ELEM. is a school in RICHARDS R-V.
About 95% of the student body at RICHARDS ELEM. is White. Beyond that, enrollment is 2% multiracial. The White share in Howell County as a whole is similar, at about 92%. Pick two students at random and there is a 9% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Its teaching staff equals 26 full-time positions, a ratio of 15.0:1. That is 2.5 students per teacher above the 12.4:1 average for elementary schools in Missouri. The free or reduced-price lunch rate at RICHARDS ELEM. is 63%. For comparison, public schools in Howell County average 61%.
allk12 grades RICHARDS ELEM. a B+. The grade compares the school only with Missouri public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
On BeatsExpectations, RICHARDS ELEM. is 8.9 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of Missouri schools.
Among Howell County residents, the median household income is $50,993, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 18%, and about 15% of people live in poverty. Besides RICHARDS ELEM., Howell County has 14 other public schools.
The closest other public school is OZARK HORIZON SCHOOL, about 2.0 miles away. RICHARDS ELEM. has 4 other public schools within five miles. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts RICHARDS ELEM. at 6th of 8.
For locale, NCES codes RICHARDS ELEM. as Town: Remote.
Enrollment is up 7% from 2020-21, when RICHARDS ELEM. had 364 students, to 2024-25, when it had 389.
Questions about school safety, transportation, and start times can be posted here. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Howell County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
40,383
Census ACS
Median income
$50,993
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
15
5,704 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in WEST PLAINS
- WEST PLAINS SR. HIGHHigh · 1,108 students
- WEST PLAINS ELEM.Elementary · 767 students
- WEST PLAINS MIDDLEMiddle · 555 students
- FAIRVIEW ELEM.Elementary · 466 students
- GLENWOOD ELEM.Elementary · 252 students
- HOWELL VALLEY ELEM.Elementary · 201 students
Other RICHARDS Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named RICHARDS Elementary. RICHARDS ELEM. is the 2nd largest of the 3.
- Richards ElementaryWhitefish Bay, WI · 680 students
- Richards Elementary SchoolNewport, NH · 273 students
Nearby schools
- OZARK HORIZON SCHOOL2.0 mi · 17
- WEST PLAINS ELEM.4.4 mi · 767
- WEST PLAINS SR. HIGH4.6 mi · 1,108
- WEST PLAINS MIDDLE4.7 mi · 555
- FAIRVIEW ELEM.5.4 mi · 466
- JUNCTION HILL ELEM.6.2 mi · 186
Frequently asked questions
About RICHARDS ELEM.What is the total enrollment at RICHARDS ELEM.?
RICHARDS ELEM. enrolls approximately 389 students in grades PK-08.
What age range does RICHARDS ELEM. serve?
RICHARDS ELEM. serves students from grade PK through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at RICHARDS ELEM.?
Approximately 15.0:1 students per teacher at RICHARDS ELEM..
How diverse is RICHARDS ELEM.?
RICHARDS ELEM. reports a student body of 95% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% Black, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees RICHARDS ELEM.?
RICHARDS ELEM. is overseen by RICHARDS R-V in Howell County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.