Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal
records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our
editorial standards & corrections policy, the
methodology behind these numbers, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Cape Girardeau, Missouri - 8 schools
An equity score of 37/100 ranks Cape Girardeau 63 #309 of 432 districts in Missouri (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,368 per pupil, Cape Girardeau 63 ranks #327 of 549 Missouri districts by per-pupil spending (Missouri districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,380
Total Enrollment
8
Schools
$11,368
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Cape Girardeau 63 operates 8 public schools serving 4,380 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Missouri. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined, 2 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Cape Girardeau County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,368 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 549 Missouri districts by per-pupil spending. See how Missouri compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 58.0% local, 21.5% state, and 20.6% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 37/100, ranked #309 of 432 in Missouri against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 8 schools offering Advanced Placement (16 AP courses district-wide), a 316.3:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 19.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 42.2% White, 33.3% African American, 8.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Clippard Elem., with a diversity index of 73.3/100.
Its largest campus is Central High, enrolling 1,278 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Franklin Elem., at 241 students, a 5x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Central High accounts for 29.2% of all Cape Girardeau 63 student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Cape Girardeau 63-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Cape Girardeau 63 school enrollment varies 5.3× across entities
Cape Girardeau 63 school enrollment ranges from 241 students (lowest) to 1,278 students (highest), a spread of 1,037 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Cape Girardeau 63 student-counselor ratio is 316:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Cape Girardeau 63 is typically wider than the Cape Girardeau 63-aggregate figure suggests.
Cape Girardeau 63 chronic absenteeism rate is 19.9% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Cape Girardeau 63 is typically wider than the Cape Girardeau 63-aggregate figure suggests.