Enrollment
605
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Park Hills, MO
Central High
Federal NCES profile for Central High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 292917001869
👥 S:T ratio 33
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of Missouri schools.
- #2 of 8
- public schools in Park Hills · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.8:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 42.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Central High has class sizes larger than 91% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central High ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Park Hills, MO.
School address
District: Central R-Iii · Missouri
NCES ID 292917001869 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.4%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-8% 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 Park Hills, Missouri, enrolling 605 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.8:1 is larger than about 91% of Missouri schools and 31% above the 12.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 42.4% lands close to the Missouri typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 605 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Among 363 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #265, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 14/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 303 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 22.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 15 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Central R-Iii also operates Central Elem. (530 students) and West Elem. (464 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 31% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.4% | ▼ 8% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 605 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
605
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 31% above state mean
Top 91% in Missouri - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$10,842
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 303 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 15 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 92.7%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
African American 3.0%
Two or More 0.7%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 92.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.9, Central High is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Central R-Iii, which includes Central High.
$10,842
Per student
-16%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.2%
State 43.7%
Federal 22.1%
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 Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Central 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
- 530
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 464
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 442
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~605 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central High's federal record.
- Compare Central High against another school. Compare schools
- Central R-Iii'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 605 students enrolled. It is a high school in Park Hills, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High is 16.8:1, which is 31% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central High?
42.4% 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 92.7% of enrollment, in Park Hills, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High?
Central High has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, 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 Park Hills?
By Resource Investment Index, Central High ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Park Hills, 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 Park Hills on the city page.
Is Central High a good school?
Central High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of Missouri schools. 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 Central R-Iii?
Besides Central High, Central R-Iii also operates Central Elem. (530 students), West Elem. (464 students), and Central Middle (442 students). See the Central R-Iii 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.