Enrollment
623
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cape Girardeau, MO
Central Middle
Federal NCES profile for Central Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 290712002798
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Middle earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #6 of 11
- public schools in Cape Girardeau · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 623
- students enrolled
Central Middle has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central Middle ranks #6 of 11 public schools in Cape Girardeau, MO.
School address
District: Cape Girardeau 63 · Missouri
NCES ID 290712002798 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
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 Middle compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central Middle
Central Middle is a large elementary school in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, enrolling 623 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 623 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Its student body is led by White (38%) and African American (37%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 291 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights 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: 168 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 623 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Cape Girardeau 63 also operates Central High (1,278 students) and Central Jr. High (633 students) alongside Central Middle.
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 Middle compares
Central Middle 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 | 623 | top 14% | - | - |
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.
623
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
18.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors2.1 FTE
Per 291 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
121
in-school suspensions + 47 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.0 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 38.2%
African American 36.6%
Two or More 13.5%
Hispanic or Latino 10.3%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 38.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.1, Central Middle 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 Middle.
$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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Central Jr. High | 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 Middle'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
- 633
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- 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 elementary 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 (~623 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Middle's federal record.
- Compare Central Middle 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 Middle
How many students attend Central Middle?
Central Middle has 623 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cape Girardeau, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Middle 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 Middle?
The largest demographic group at Central Middle is White at 38.2% of enrollment, in Cape Girardeau, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Middle?
Central Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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 Middle rank among public schools in Cape Girardeau?
By Resource Investment Index, Central Middle ranks #6 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 Middle a good school?
Central Middle earns 53/100 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 Middle, Cape Girardeau 63 also operates Central High (1,278 students), Central Jr. High (633 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.