Lucy Wortham James Elementary School
Public elementary school in St James, Missouri · St. James R-I School District · Grades Pre-K–5
Lucy Wortham James Elementary School serves 681 students in grades Pre-K–5 in St James (Phelps County). It is one of 3 schools in St. James R-I School District. By enrollment it is the 28th largest of 1,202 public elementary schools in Missouri (median 327 students). With 12 students per full-time teacher, it has about the same as the typical Missouri elementary school (12.3).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 1,202 Missouri elementary schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 56.69 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | Elementary |
| Grades | Pre-K–5 |
| District | St. James R-I School District |
| County | Phelps County |
| Area type | Rural, distant |
| School meals | National School Lunch Program, free or reduced price for eligible students |
| NCES school ID | 292925001873 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Missouri
| This school | St. James R-I | Missouri elementary schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 681 | 1,559 | 327 |
| Students per teacher | 12 | 12.8 | 12.3 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 51.8% | 51.5% | 53.6% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 43% of Missouri elementary schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
Lucy Wortham James Elementary School in context
Size
Lucy Wortham James Elementary School is the only elementary school in St. James R-I School District. Its 681 students are 43.7% of the district's 1,559. Its 8 closest elementary schools sit a median 12.9 miles away with a median enrollment of 385; Lucy Wortham James Elementary School is larger than most of them.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment and school type. Share of district students = this school's students ÷ the district's students. Nearest schools by straight-line distance between NCES EDGE locations.
Grades
Its largest grade is grade 4 with 112 students, and its smallest is pre-K with 74, against an average of 97 per grade. Its first and last grades are close in size: 96 in kindergarten and 100 in grade 5. It also enrolls 74 children in pre-K.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
The largest group is White students: 92.5% here and 90.8% across St. James R-I. Students from 6 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
51.8% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, against 51.5% across St. James R-I and a median of 53.6% for Missouri elementary schools. 17.3% are directly certified for free meals, meaning their families take part in programs such as SNAP or TANF, so no application was needed. Families apply for free or reduced-price meals, and eligibility depends on household income.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
With 56.69 full-time-equivalent teachers for 681 students, Lucy Wortham James Elementary School has 12 students per teacher. At the median Missouri elementary school ratio of 12.3, a school with 681 students would have about 55.4 teachers, so Lucy Wortham James Elementary School has 1.3 more.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Missouri elementary schools (12.3).
Location
Lucy Wortham James Elementary School is in rural territory 5 to 25 miles from an urbanized area, or 2.5 to 10 miles from a town, which NCES calls rural, distant. The nearest other elementary school is Harry S. Truman Elementary School, 8.5 miles away in Rolla 31 School District. Within 10 miles there are 3 other elementary schools, 0 of them within 5 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| White | 92.5% |
| Hispanic | 2.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.3% |
| Black | 1.8% |
| Asian | 0.4% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.3% |
49.9% of students are girls and 50.1% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Pre-K | 74 |
| Kindergarten | 96 |
| Grade 1 | 87 |
| Grade 2 | 107 |
| Grade 3 | 105 |
| Grade 4 | 112 |
| Grade 5 | 100 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
314 S Jefferson, St James, MO 65559
Phone: (573)265-2300
Website: stjschools.org
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: Lucy Wortham James Elementary School. Blue: the nearest elementary schools.
Nearby elementary schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry S. Truman Elementary School | Rolla 31 | 8.5 mi | 448 | 12.6 | 57.6% |
| Mark Twain Elementary School | Rolla 31 | 8.7 mi | 440 | 12.4 | 50.7% |
| Col. John B. Wyman Elementary School | Rolla 31 | 9.9 mi | 441 | 12.8 | 47.8% |
| Cuba Elementary School | Crawford County R-II | 12.1 mi | 424 | 11.6 | 51.2% |
| Steelville Elementary School | Steelville R-III | 13.6 mi | 346 | 11.8 | 59% |
| Newburg Elementary School | Newburg R-II | 16.5 mi | 157 | 10.3 | 72.6% |
| Dent-Phelps Elementary School | Dent-Phelps R-III | 19.3 mi | 256 | 11 | 50% |
| Belle Elementary School | Maries County R-II | 21.1 mi | 259 | 10.5 | 47.1% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.
Other schools in St. James R-I
| School | Level | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. James High School | High | 9–12 | 509 |
| St. James Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 369 |