Enrollment
1,258
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 290462000055
Belton High — Belton, MO
Federal NCES profile for Belton High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 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: Belton 124 · 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)
91.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.3%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Belton 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
Belton High reports 1,258 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 91.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% above the Missouri state mean of 12.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% below the Missouri average and 36% below the national baseline. The school offers 15 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 315 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Belton 124 spends $15,431 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 51.1% from local sources (property taxes), 34.8% from the state, and 14.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Belton 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 | 15.1:1 | ▲ 17% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.3% | ▼ 28% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,258 | top 97% | — | — |
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
33.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 28% 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
15.1:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 82% in Missouri — lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
30.3%
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
$15,431
per pupil, district-wide
— above Missouri avg of $15,248
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 315 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
65
in-school suspensions + 47 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 48 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,258 Top 97% in Missouri — larger than 3% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 91.0
Students per teacher 15.1:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.3% -28% vs state
NCES ID 290462000055
Student demographics
White 57.9%
Hispanic or Latino 19.4%
African American 11.5%
Two or More 9.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: White at 57.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 315:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.3%
In-school suspensions 65
Out-of-school suspensions 47
Expulsions 48
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belton 124, which includes Belton High.
$15,431
Per student
+1%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 51.1%
State 34.8%
Federal 14.0%
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
- 641
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 355
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
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 Belton High
How many students attend Belton High?
Belton High has 1,258 students enrolled. It is a high school in BELTON, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Belton High?
The student-teacher ratio at Belton High is 15.1:1, which is 17% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Belton High?
33.3% of students at Belton High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Belton High?
The largest demographic group at Belton High is White at 57.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in BELTON, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Belton High?
Belton High has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.