Enrollment
1,733
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · St Joseph, 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 292706001648
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 40
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 96% of Missouri schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Missouri.
- #1 of 3
- high schools in St Joseph · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.6:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 35.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Central High has class sizes larger than 96% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central High ranks #1 of 3 high schools in St Joseph, MO.
School address
District: St. Joseph · Missouri
NCES ID 292706001648 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
93.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.6:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+45% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.5%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-23% 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 St Joseph, Missouri, enrolling 1,733 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.6:1 is larger than about 96% of Missouri schools and 45% above the 12.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 35.5% lands close to the Missouri typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Missouri, bigger than 99% of state schools at 1,733 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 42 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #15.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 57/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 15 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 347 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 393 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,733 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
St. Joseph also operates Benton High (682 students) and Lafayette High (644 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 | 18.6:1 | ▲ 45% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.5% | ▼ 23% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,733 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.6:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,733
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% 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
18.6:1
students per teacher
- 45% above state mean
Top 96% in Missouri - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.9%
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
$11,308
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 347 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
266
in-school suspensions + 127 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 62.2%
Hispanic or Latino 15.3%
Two or More 9.5%
African American 7.4%
Asian 2.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 62.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.4, Central High is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Joseph, which includes Central High.
$11,308
Per student
-13%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.8%
State 30.4%
Federal 18.8%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lafayette High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Carden Park Elem | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Oak Grove Elem | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bode 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
- 682
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 644
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 638
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
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 (~1,733 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central High's federal record.
- Compare Central High against another school. Compare schools
- St. Joseph'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 1,733 students enrolled. It is a high school in St Joseph, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High is 18.6:1, which is 45% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central High?
35.5% 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 62.2% of enrollment, in St Joseph, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.4/100.
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 high schools in St Joseph?
By Resource Investment Index, Central High ranks #1 of 3 high schools in St Joseph, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in St Joseph 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 96% 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 St. Joseph?
Besides Central High, St. Joseph also operates Benton High (682 students), Lafayette High (644 students), and Carden Park Elem (638 students). See the St. Joseph 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.