Thomas Benton Elementary School
Public elementary school in Columbia, Missouri · Columbia 93 School District · Grades Pre-K–5
Thomas Benton Elementary School serves 232 students in grades Pre-K–5 in Columbia (Boone County). It is one of 34 schools in Columbia 93 School District. By enrollment it is the 854th largest of 1,202 public elementary schools in Missouri (median 327 students). With 11.7 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 ÷ 19.82 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | Elementary |
| Grades | Pre-K–5 |
| District | Columbia 93 School District |
| County | Boone County |
| Area type | City, midsize |
| School meals | Free meals for every student (Community Eligibility Provision) |
| NCES school ID | 290100000313 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Missouri
| This school | Columbia 93 | Missouri elementary schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 232 | 18,640 | 327 |
| Students per teacher | 11.7 | 12.8 | 12.3 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 100% | 41.7% | 53.6% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 39% 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.
Thomas Benton Elementary School in context
Size
Of the 21 elementary schools in Columbia 93 School District, Thomas Benton Elementary School is the 19th largest, with 1.2% of the district's students. The 8 nearest elementary schools are a median 1.7 miles away and have a median of 325 students, so Thomas Benton Elementary School is smaller 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 3 with 42 students, and its smallest is grade 1 with 31, against an average of 39 per grade. Its first and last grades are close in size: 40 in kindergarten and 42 in grade 5.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
Black students are the largest group, at 41.4% of enrollment, a higher share than across Columbia 93 (21.9%). White students are next, at 37.9%. Students from 4 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
100% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, against 41.7% across Columbia 93 and a median of 53.6% for Missouri elementary schools. 42.2% are directly certified for free meals, meaning their families take part in programs such as SNAP or TANF, so no application was needed. Under the Community Eligibility Provision, every student can eat breakfast and lunch at no charge, and families fill out no meal application.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
Thomas Benton Elementary School has 19.82 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 11.7 students per teacher. At the median Missouri elementary school ratio of 12.3, a school with 232 students would have about 18.9 teachers, so Thomas Benton Elementary School has about as many as that.
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 city, midsize, which means it is inside a principal city of 100,000 to 250,000 people. The nearest other elementary school is Locust St Expressive Arts Elementary School, 0.5 miles away in the same district. There are 16 elementary schools within 5 miles and 20 within 10 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| Black | 41.4% |
| White | 37.9% |
| Two or more races | 14.7% |
| Hispanic | 6% |
43.5% of students are girls and 56.5% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Kindergarten | 40 |
| Grade 1 | 31 |
| Grade 2 | 39 |
| Grade 3 | 42 |
| Grade 4 | 38 |
| Grade 5 | 42 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
1410 Hinkson Ave, Columbia, MO 65201
Phone: (573)214-3610
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: Thomas Benton Elementary School. Blue: the nearest elementary schools.
Nearby elementary schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locust St Expressive Arts Elementary School | Columbia 93 | 0.5 mi | 283 | 12.5 | 45.6% |
| John Ridgeway Elementary School | Columbia 93 | 0.9 mi | 227 | 14.3 | 15% |
| Ulysses S. Grant Elementary School | Columbia 93 | 1.1 mi | 296 | 13.7 | 31.1% |
| Parkade Elementary School | Columbia 93 | 1.7 mi | 359 | 11.4 | 57.9% |
| Shepard Blvd. Elementary School | Columbia 93 | 1.8 mi | 538 | 11.8 | 64.7% |
| West Blvd. Elementary School | Columbia 93 | 1.8 mi | 327 | 10.6 | 100% |
| Derby Ridge Elementary School | Columbia 93 | 2.5 mi | 323 | 9.9 | 61.9% |
| Blue Ridge Elementary School | Columbia 93 | 2.5 mi | 453 | 12.2 | 72.8% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.