Enrollment
633
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Cape Girardeau, MO
Central Jr. High
Federal NCES profile for Central Jr. High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 290712000185
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Jr. High earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #9 of 11
- public schools in Cape Girardeau · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 633
- students enrolled
Central Jr. High has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central Jr. High ranks #9 of 11 public schools in Cape Girardeau, MO.
School address
District: Cape Girardeau 63 · Missouri
NCES ID 290712000185 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Jr. High compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central Jr. High
Central Jr. High is a large middle school in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, enrolling 633 students.
At 12.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Missouri median, within a few percentage points of the 12.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Enrollment of 633 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Its student body is led by White (42%) and African American (34%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 294 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.1% 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: 281 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 633 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Cape Girardeau 63 also operates Central High (1,278 students) and Central Middle (623 students) alongside Central Jr. 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 Jr. High compares
Central Jr. 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 | 12.7:1 | ▼ 1% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 633 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
633
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 50% in Missouri - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.1%
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
Counselors2.2 FTE
Per 294 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
188
in-school suspensions + 93 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 29.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 44.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 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 42.3%
African American 33.6%
Two or More 15.3%
Hispanic or Latino 7.4%
Asian 1.3%
Largest group: White at 42.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.9, Central Jr. High is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cape Girardeau 63, which includes Central Jr. 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 Jr. High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Central Middle | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jefferson Elem. | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Clippard Elem. | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Alma Schrader Elem. | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central Jr. High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,278
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- 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 middle 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 (~633 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Jr. High's federal record.
- Compare Central Jr. 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 Jr. High
How many students attend Central Jr. High?
Central Jr. High has 633 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Cape Girardeau, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Jr. High?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Jr. High is 12.7:1, which is 1% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 19% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Jr. High?
The largest demographic group at Central Jr. High is White at 42.3% of enrollment, in Cape Girardeau, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Jr. High?
Central Jr. High has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Central Jr. High rank among public schools in Cape Girardeau?
By Resource Investment Index, Central Jr. High ranks #9 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 Jr. High a good school?
Central Jr. High earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Cape Girardeau 63?
Besides Central Jr. High, Cape Girardeau 63 also operates Central High (1,278 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.