Enrollment
519
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 291640000840
Central High School — Kansas City, MO
Federal NCES profile for Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 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: Kansas City 33 · 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.4%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+116% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central High School 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
Central High School reports 519 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% 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 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 99.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 116% above the Missouri average and 92% above the national baseline. The school offers 6 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 260 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 64.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kansas City 33 spends $19,566 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 75.0% from local sources (property taxes), 2.3% from the state, and 22.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Central High School 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 | 14.9:1 | ▲ 16% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.4% | ▲ 116% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 519 | top 80% | — | — |
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
99.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 116% 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
14.9:1
students per teacher
— 16% above state mean
Top 79% in Missouri — lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
64.9%
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
$19,566
per pupil, district-wide
— above Missouri avg of $15,248
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 260 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
22
in-school suspensions + 136 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 30.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 519 Top 80% in Missouri — larger than 20% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 14.9:1 +16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 99.4% +116% vs state
NCES ID 291640000840
Student demographics
African American 78.6%
Hispanic or Latino 11.6%
White 5.6%
Two or More 2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 78.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 260:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 64.9%
In-school suspensions 22
Out-of-school suspensions 136
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kansas City 33, which includes Central High School.
$19,566
Per student
+28%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 75.0%
State 2.3%
Federal 22.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,155
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 997
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 768
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 732
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 669
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
Similar high schools in Kansas City
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Staley High
Standard public school
2,091 students 20:1 students per teacher
Park Hill High
Standard public school
1,947 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Oak Park High
Standard public school
1,755 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
North Kansas City High
Standard public school
1,719 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Ruskin High School
Standard public school
1,299 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Winnetonka High
Standard public school
1,238 students 14.6:1 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 Central High School
How many students attend Central High School?
Central High School has 519 students enrolled. It is a high school in KANSAS CITY, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High School is 14.9:1, which is 16% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central High School?
99.4% of students at Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Central High School is African American at 78.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in KANSAS CITY, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High School?
Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.