Enrollment
361
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 292928002569
Busch Ms Character Athletics — St Louis, MO
Federal NCES profile for Busch Ms Character Athletics, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 12
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 0
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: St. Louis City · 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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.9:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+70% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.2%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+115% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Busch Ms Character Athletics 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
Busch Ms Character Athletics reports 361 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 70% 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 38% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 99.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 115% above the Missouri average and 92% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 361 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 49.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding St. Louis City spends $19,285 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 78.0% from local sources (property taxes), 5.8% from the state, and 16.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), 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 Busch Ms Character Athletics 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 | 21.9:1 | ▲ 70% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.2% | ▲ 115% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 361 | top 58% | — | — |
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
99.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 115% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.9:1
students per teacher
— 70% above state mean
Top 99% in Missouri — lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
49.9%
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
$19,285
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 361 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
128
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 35.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 46.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 361 Top 58% in Missouri — larger than 42% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 21.9:1 +70% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 99.2% +115% vs state
NCES ID 292928002569
Student demographics
African American 52.1%
White 22.2%
Hispanic or Latino 13.9%
Asian 8.0%
Two or More 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 52.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 361:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 49.9%
In-school suspensions 128
Out-of-school suspensions 38
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Louis City, which includes Busch Ms Character Athletics.
$19,285
Per student
+26%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 78.0%
State 5.8%
Federal 16.2%
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
- 860
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Enrollment
- 734
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 610
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 472
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
Similar middle schools in St Louis
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Ladue Middle
Standard public school
1,053 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Hixson Middle
Standard public school
982 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Robert H. Sperreng Middle
Standard public school
941 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Ritenour Middle
Standard public school
737 students 9.3:1 students per teacher
Oakville Middle
Standard public school
629 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
R. G. Central Middle
Standard public school
578 students 23:1 students per teacher
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 Busch Ms Character Athletics
How many students attend Busch Ms Character Athletics?
Busch Ms Character Athletics has 361 students enrolled. It is a middle school in ST LOUIS, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Busch Ms Character Athletics?
The student-teacher ratio at Busch Ms Character Athletics is 21.9:1, which is 70% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Busch Ms Character Athletics?
99.2% of students at Busch Ms Character Athletics are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Busch Ms Character Athletics?
The largest demographic group at Busch Ms Character Athletics is African American at 52.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in ST LOUIS, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Busch Ms Character Athletics?
Busch Ms Character Athletics has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) 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.