Verelle Peniston School
Public school in Chillicothe, Missouri · MO Schools for the Severely Disabled · Grades K–12
Verelle Peniston School serves 15 students in grades K–12 in Chillicothe (Livingston County). It is one of 25 schools in MO Schools for the Severely Disabled. By enrollment it is the 36th largest of 42 public schools in Missouri (median 28 students). With 3.8 students per full-time teacher, it has fewer students per teacher than the typical Missouri school (5.5).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 42 Missouri schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 4 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Special Education School |
| Level | Other |
| Grades | K–12 |
| District | MO Schools for the Severely Disabled |
| County | Livingston County |
| Area type | Town, remote |
| School meals | National School Lunch Program, free or reduced price for eligible students |
| NCES school ID | 290002203055 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Missouri
| This school | MO Schools for the Severely Disabled | Missouri schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 15 | 652 | 28 |
| Students per teacher | 3.8 | 5.1 | 5.5 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 46.7% | 58.4% | 51.8% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 15% of Missouri schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
Verelle Peniston School in context
Size
Verelle Peniston School is the 21st largest of MO Schools for the Severely Disabled's 25 schools; its 15 students are 2.3% of district enrollment. Its 8 closest schools sit a median 71.6 miles away with a median enrollment of 39; Verelle Peniston School is smaller than most of them.
NCES lists it as a special education school, one that focuses mainly on students with disabilities.
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 12 with 4 students, and its smallest is grade 1 with 1, against an average of 2 per grade. This year grade 12 has 300% more students than grade 1 (4 against 1). Each grade is a different group of students, so the gap is not a dropout or growth rate.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
The largest group is White students: 80% here and 80.1% across MO Schools for the Severely Disabled. Students from 4 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
46.7% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, against 58.4% across MO Schools for the Severely Disabled and a median of 51.8% for Missouri schools. 20% 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 4 full-time-equivalent teachers for 15 students, Verelle Peniston School has 3.8 students per teacher. At the median Missouri school ratio of 5.5, a school with 15 students would have about 2.7 teachers, so Verelle Peniston School has 1.3 more.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Missouri schools (5.5).
Location
Verelle Peniston School is in a town more than 35 miles from an urbanized area, which NCES calls town, remote. The nearest other school is Maple Valley School, 64.8 miles away in the same district. No other school is within 10 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| White | 80% |
| Black | 6.7% |
| Hispanic | 6.7% |
| Two or more races | 6.7% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Grade 1 | 1 |
| Grade 2 | 2 |
| Grade 5 | 2 |
| Grade 6 | 2 |
| Grade 7 | 1 |
| Grade 8 | 1 |
| Grade 9 | 1 |
| Grade 11 | 1 |
| Grade 12 | 4 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
1530 Clay St, Chillicothe, MO 64601
Phone: (660)646-4215
Website: dese.mo.gov
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: Verelle Peniston School. Blue: the nearest schools.
Nearby schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Valley School | MO Schools for the Severely Disabled | 64.8 mi | 35 | 5.8 | 40% |
| Helen M Davis School | MO Schools for the Severely Disabled | 66.9 mi | 43 | 6.1 | 53.5% |
| Liggett Trail Education Center | Blue Springs R-IV | 68.1 mi | 159 | 7.8 | 21.4% |
| Lakeview Woods School | MO Schools for the Severely Disabled | 71.6 mi | 30 | 10 | 90% |
| Greenways Academy | Boonville R-I | 71.7 mi | 105 | 10.4 | 37.1% |
| Contract | Kansas City 33 | 72.2 mi | 32 | – | 90.6% |
| R-7 Online Academy | Lee's Summit R-VII | 73.6 mi | 65 | – | 4.6% |
| E W Thompson | MO Schools for the Severely Disabled | 77.1 mi | 11 | 2.8 | 72.7% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.
Other schools in MO Schools for the Severely Disabled
| School | Level | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Hill School | Other | K–12 | 32 |
| B W Robinson School | Other | K–12 | 28 |
| Boonslick | Other | K–12 | 23 |
| Bootheel School | Other | K–12 | 26 |
| Cedar Ridge School | Other | K–12 | 21 |
| Crowley Ridge School | Other | K–12 | 12 |
| Current River School | Other | K–12 | 11 |
| Dale M Thompson/Trails West S | Other | K–12 | 22 |
| Dogwood Hills School | Other | K–12 | 16 |
| E W Thompson | Other | K–12 | 11 |
| Greene Valley School | Other | K–12 | 35 |
| H Kenneth Kirchner School | Other | K–12 | 16 |
| Helen M Davis School | Other | K–12 | 43 |
| Lakeview Woods School | Other | K–12 | 30 |
| Lillian Schaper School | Other | K–12 | 13 |
| Mapaville School | Other | K–12 | 37 |
| Maple Valley School | Other | K–12 | 35 |
| Mississippi Valley School | Other | K–12 | 25 |
| New Dawn School | Other | K–12 | 28 |
| Oakview School | Other | K–12 | 22 |
| Ozark Horizon School | Other | K–12 | 17 |
| Parkview School | Other | K–12 | 25 |
| Shady Grove School | Other | K–12 | 39 |
| Special Acres School | Other | K–12 | 22 |