Enrollment
2,007
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 290100000300
David H. Hickman High — Columbia, MO
Federal NCES profile for David H. Hickman High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 55/100.
👥 Class size 31
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 35
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: Columbia 93 · 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)
119.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.4%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How David H. Hickman High 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
David H. Hickman High reports 2,007 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 119.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 33% 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 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 27.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the Missouri average and 47% below the national baseline. The school offers 27 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 295 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Columbia 93 spends $15,957 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 64.5% from local sources (property taxes), 25.3% from the state, and 10.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C), 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 David H. Hickman High 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 | 17.2:1 | ▲ 33% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.4% | ▼ 41% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,007 | top 99% | — | — |
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
27.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.2:1
students per teacher
— 33% above state mean
Top 94% in Missouri — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.0%
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
$15,957
per pupil, district-wide
— above Missouri avg of $15,248
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.8 FTE
Per 295 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
159
in-school suspensions + 93 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 2,007 Top 99% in Missouri — larger than 1% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 119.0
Students per teacher 17.2:1 +33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 27.4% -41% vs state
NCES ID 290100000300
Student demographics
White 57.2%
African American 20.3%
Two or More 11.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.9%
Asian 4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 57.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 27
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.8
Students per counselor 295:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.0%
In-school suspensions 159
Out-of-school suspensions 93
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia 93, which includes David H. Hickman High.
$15,957
Per student
+5%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 64.5%
State 25.3%
Federal 10.2%
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
- 1,997
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,492
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 736
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 656
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 619
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
Similar high schools in Columbia
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 David H. Hickman High
How many students attend David H. Hickman High?
David H. Hickman High has 2,007 students enrolled. It is a high school in COLUMBIA, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at David H. Hickman High?
The student-teacher ratio at David H. Hickman High is 17.2:1, which is 33% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at David H. Hickman High?
27.4% of students at David H. Hickman High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of David H. Hickman High?
The largest demographic group at David H. Hickman High is White at 57.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in COLUMBIA, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for David H. Hickman High?
David H. Hickman High has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C) 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.