Enrollment
692
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 291383003000
Central Middle — Florissant, MO
Federal NCES profile for Central Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 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
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)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.6:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+44% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.2%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Middle 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 Middle reports 692 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 44% 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 17% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 63.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% above the Missouri average and 22% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 231 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 40.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hazelwood spends $13,951 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.7% from local sources (property taxes), 20.8% from the state, and 26.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Middle 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 | 18.6:1 | ▲ 44% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.2% | ▲ 37% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 692 | top 90% | — | — |
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
63.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 37% 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
18.6:1
students per teacher
— 44% above state mean
Top 97% in Missouri — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
40.0%
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
$13,951
per pupil, district-wide
— below Missouri avg of $15,248
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 231 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
168
in-school suspensions + 224 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 24.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 56.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 692 Top 90% in Missouri — larger than 10% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 18.6:1 +44% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 63.2% +37% vs state
NCES ID 291383003000
Student demographics
African American 95.1%
Two or More 2.3%
White 1.3%
Hispanic or Latino 0.9%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 95.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 231:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 40.0%
In-school suspensions 168
Out-of-school suspensions 224
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hazelwood, which includes Central Middle.
$13,951
Per student
-9%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.7%
State 20.8%
Federal 26.5%
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
- 1,994
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,718
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,310
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Enrollment
- 770
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 724
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
Similar middle schools in Florissant
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Northwest Middle
Standard public school
770 students 16:1 students per teacher
North Middle
Standard public school
702 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Cross Keys Middle
Standard public school
608 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Wedgwood 6th Grade Center
Standard public school
268 students 10.6:1 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 Middle
How many students attend Central Middle?
Central Middle has 692 students enrolled. It is a middle school in FLORISSANT, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Middle is 18.6:1, which is 44% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Middle?
63.2% of students at Central Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Middle?
The largest demographic group at Central Middle is African American at 95.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in FLORISSANT, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Middle?
Central Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.