Enrollment
1,281
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Chesterfield, MO
Central High
Federal NCES profile for Central High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 292358001379
👥 S:T ratio 37
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central High earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Missouri schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Missouri.
- #7 of 13
- public schools in Chesterfield · Resource Index
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.8:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 12.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Central High has class sizes larger than 86% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central High ranks #7 of 13 public schools in Chesterfield, MO.
School address
District: Parkway C-2 · Missouri
NCES ID 292358001379 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
81.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.9%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-72% 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 lower-poverty, large high school in Chesterfield, Missouri, enrolling 1,281 students.
Class loads run heavy: 15.8:1 is larger than about 86% of Missouri schools and 23% above the 12.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 12.9% free-meal eligibility runs 72% below the Missouri average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Missouri, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,281 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 94 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #24.
Its student body is led by White (54%) and African American (17%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 65/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 26 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 256 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
17.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Parkway C-2 also operates South High (1,485 students) and West High (1,417 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 | 15.8:1 | ▲ 23% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.9% | ▼ 72% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,281 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,281
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
12.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 86% in Missouri - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
17.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,102
per pupil, district-wide
- above Missouri avg of $12,931
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 256 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 33 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 54.3%
African American 16.6%
Asian 14.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
Two or More 6.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 54.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.6, Central High is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 26
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Parkway C-2, which includes Central High.
$14,102
Per student
+9%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 89.1%
State 4.2%
Federal 6.7%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Central Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | 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
- 1,485
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 1,417
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 990
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 881
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 814
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
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 (~1,281 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central High's federal record.
- Compare Central High against another school. Compare schools
- Parkway C-2'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 1,281 students enrolled. It is a high school in Chesterfield, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High is 15.8:1, which is 23% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central High?
12.9% of students at Central High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High?
The largest demographic group at Central High is White at 54.3% of enrollment, in Chesterfield, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High?
Central High has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (higher 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 Chesterfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Central High ranks #7 of 13 public schools in Chesterfield, 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 Chesterfield on the city page.
Is Central High a good school?
Central High earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% 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 Parkway C-2?
Besides Central High, Parkway C-2 also operates South High (1,485 students), West High (1,417 students), and North High (990 students). See the Parkway C-2 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.