Enrollment
1,278
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Cape Girardeau, MO
Central High
Federal NCES profile for Central High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 290712000186
👥 S:T ratio 42
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 9
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Missouri schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Missouri.
- #10 of 11
- public schools in Cape Girardeau · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.4:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 1,278
- students enrolled
Central High has class sizes larger than 74% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central High ranks #10 of 11 public schools in Cape Girardeau, MO.
School address
District: Cape Girardeau 63 · Missouri
NCES ID 290712000186 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
89.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central High compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central High
Central High is a large high school in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, enrolling 1,278 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Missouri, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,278 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and African American (32%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 16 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 307 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 415 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,278 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 6 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Cape Girardeau 63 also operates Central Jr. High (633 students) and Central Middle (623 students) alongside Central High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Central High compares
Central High on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.4:1 | ▲ 12% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,278 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,278
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 74% in Missouri - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
36.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,368
per pupil, district-wide
- below Missouri avg of $12,931
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.2 FTE
Per 307 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
250
in-school suspensions + 165 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 47.6%
African American 31.7%
Two or More 10.6%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
Asian 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 47.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.5, Central High is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 16
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cape Girardeau 63, which includes Central High.
$11,368
Per student
-12%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.0%
State 21.5%
Federal 20.6%
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.
How Central High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Jr. High | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Central Middle | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jefferson Elem. | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Clippard Elem. | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Alma Schrader Elem. | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 633
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 494
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 9.1:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 332
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Missouri, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,278 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central High's federal record.
- Compare Central High against another school. Compare schools
- Cape Girardeau 63's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Central High
How many students attend Central High?
Central High has 1,278 students enrolled. It is a high school in Cape Girardeau, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High is 14.4:1, which is 12% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High?
The largest demographic group at Central High is White at 47.6% of enrollment, in Cape Girardeau, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High?
Central High has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Central High rank among public schools in Cape Girardeau?
By Resource Investment Index, Central High ranks #10 of 11 public schools in Cape Girardeau, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Cape Girardeau on the city page.
Is Central High a good school?
Central High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Missouri schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Missouri. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Cape Girardeau 63?
Besides Central High, Cape Girardeau 63 also operates Central Jr. High (633 students), Central Middle (623 students), and Jefferson Elem. (494 students). See the Cape Girardeau 63 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.