Richards Elementary School
Public elementary school in West Plains, Missouri · Richards R-V School District · Grades Pre-K–8
Richards Elementary School serves 389 students in grades Pre-K–8 in West Plains (Howell County). It is the only school in Richards R-V School District. By enrollment it is the 422nd largest of 1,202 public elementary schools in Missouri (median 327 students). With 15 students per full-time teacher, it has more students per teacher than 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 ÷ 26 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | Elementary |
| Grades | Pre-K–8 |
| District | Richards R-V School District |
| County | Howell County |
| Area type | Town, remote |
| School meals | National School Lunch Program, free or reduced price for eligible students |
| NCES school ID | 292637001546 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Missouri
| This school | Richards R-V | Missouri elementary schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 389 | 389 | 327 |
| Students per teacher | 15 | 15 | 12.3 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 63% | 63% | 53.6% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 89% 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.
Richards Elementary School in context
Size
Richards Elementary School is the only school in Richards R-V School District, so its 389 students are the district's whole enrollment. The 8 nearest elementary schools are a median 7.3 miles away and have a median of 324 students, so Richards Elementary School is close to their typical size.
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 kindergarten with 46 students, and its smallest is pre-K with 29, against an average of 39 per grade. This year grade 8 has 11% fewer students than kindergarten (41 against 46). Each grade is a different group of students, so the gap is not a dropout or growth rate. It also enrolls 29 children in pre-K.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
White students are the largest group, at 95.4% of enrollment, a higher share than across Missouri public schools (66.9%). Students from 4 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
63% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and a median of 53.6% for Missouri elementary schools. 29.6% 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. State shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
Richards Elementary School has 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 15 students per teacher. At the median Missouri elementary school ratio of 12.3, a school with 389 students would have about 31.6 teachers, so Richards Elementary School has 5.6 fewer.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Missouri elementary schools (12.3).
Location
NCES classifies its location as town, remote, which means it is in a town more than 35 miles from an urbanized area. The nearest other elementary school is West Plains Elementary School, 4.4 miles away in West Plains R-VII School District. There is 1 elementary school within 5 miles and 5 within 10 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| White | 95.4% |
| Two or more races | 2.3% |
| Hispanic | 1.5% |
| Black | 0.8% |
43.7% of students are girls and 56.3% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Pre-K | 29 |
| Kindergarten | 46 |
| Grade 1 | 44 |
| Grade 2 | 37 |
| Grade 3 | 42 |
| Grade 4 | 45 |
| Grade 5 | 34 |
| Grade 6 | 39 |
| Grade 7 | 32 |
| Grade 8 | 41 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
3461 County Rd 1710, West Plains, MO 65775
Phone: (417)256-5239
Website: richardsschool.k12.mo.us
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: Richards Elementary School. Blue: the nearest elementary schools.
Nearby elementary schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Plains Elementary School | West Plains R-VII | 4.4 mi | 767 | 12.1 | 75.6% |
| Fairview Elementary School | Fairview R-XI | 5.4 mi | 466 | 15 | 50.2% |
| Junction Hill Elementary School | Junction Hill C-12 | 6.2 mi | 186 | 10.9 | 57% |
| Howell Valley Elementary School | Howell Valley R-I | 6.6 mi | 201 | 11.3 | 52.7% |
| Glenwood Elementary School | Glenwood R-VIII | 8.0 mi | 252 | 10.4 | 53.6% |
| South Fork Elementary School | West Plains R-VII | 11.8 mi | 196 | 12.7 | 58.7% |
| Willow Springs Elementary School | Willow Springs R-IV | 15.0 mi | 446 | 10.2 | 71.1% |
| Mountain View Elementary School | Mountain View-Birch Tree R-III | 17.9 mi | 396 | 11.2 | 65.7% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.