Enrollment
59
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 290417000042
Ballard High — Butler, MO
Federal NCES profile for Ballard High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 75
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 88
📋 Attendance 24
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Ballard R-Ii · Missouri
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.3:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
-51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ballard High compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Ballard High reports 59 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 8.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 6.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 51% below the Missouri state mean of 12.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 60% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 36.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% below the Missouri average and 31% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 59 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ballard R-Ii spends $21,477 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.7% from local sources (property taxes), 39.1% from the state, and 15.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ballard High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Missouri state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 6.3:1 | ▼ 51% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.0% | ▼ 22% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 59 | top 7% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
36.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 22% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
6.3:1
students per teacher
— 51% below state mean
Top 4% in Missouri — lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
30.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$21,477
per pupil, district-wide
— above Missouri avg of $15,248
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 59 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 59 Top 7% in Missouri — larger than 93% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 8.0
Students per teacher 6.3:1 -51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 36.0% -22% vs state
NCES ID 290417000042
Student demographics
White 89.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.4%
Asian 3.4%
African American 1.7%
Two or More 1.7%
Largest group: White at 89.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 59:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ballard R-Ii, which includes Ballard High.
$21,477
Per student
+41%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
+10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 45.7%
State 39.1%
Federal 15.2%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 57
- Students per teacher
- 7.7:1
Similar other schools in Butler
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Ballard High
How many students attend Ballard High?
Ballard High has 59 students enrolled. It is a other school in BUTLER, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ballard High?
The student-teacher ratio at Ballard High is 6.3:1, which is 51% lower than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 60% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ballard High?
36.0% of students at Ballard High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ballard High?
The largest demographic group at Ballard High is White at 89.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in BUTLER, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ballard High?
Ballard High has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.