Enrollment
553
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Dexter, MO
Dexter High
Federal NCES profile for Dexter High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 291077000363
👥 S:T ratio 46
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 90
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dexter High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- #2 of 6
- public schools in Dexter · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 34.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Dexter High has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dexter High ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Dexter, MO.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.2%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dexter High compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dexter High
Dexter High is a mid-sized high school in Dexter, Missouri, enrolling 553 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 34.2% lands close to the Missouri typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 553 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.
Against 452 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #89.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 277 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Dexter R-Xi spends $9,912 per pupil, 23% below the Missouri average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 173 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 553 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Dexter R-Xi also operates T. S. Hill Middle (475 students) and Central Elem. (447 students) alongside Dexter 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 Dexter High compares
Dexter 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 | 13.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.2% | ▼ 26% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 553 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
553
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 26% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 63% in Missouri - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
4.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$9,912
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 277 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
116
in-school suspensions + 57 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 90.8%
Hispanic or Latino 4.3%
Two or More 2.9%
African American 1.1%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 90.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.3, Dexter High is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dexter R-Xi, which includes Dexter High.
$9,912
Per student
-23%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.0%
State 34.7%
Federal 19.3%
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 Dexter High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| T. S. Hill Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Central Elem. | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Southwest Elem. | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Southwest Elementary Preschool | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dexter High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 475
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 441
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 92
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar high 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 (~553 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dexter High's federal record.
- Compare Dexter High against another school. Compare schools
- Dexter R-Xi'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 Dexter High
How many students attend Dexter High?
Dexter High has 553 students enrolled. It is a high school in Dexter, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dexter High?
The student-teacher ratio at Dexter High is 13.5:1, which is 5% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dexter High?
34.2% of students at Dexter High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dexter High?
The largest demographic group at Dexter High is White at 90.8% of enrollment, in Dexter, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dexter High?
Dexter High has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Dexter High rank among public schools in Dexter?
By Resource Investment Index, Dexter High ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Dexter, 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 Dexter on the city page.
Is Dexter High a good school?
Dexter High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. 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 Dexter R-Xi?
Besides Dexter High, Dexter R-Xi also operates T. S. Hill Middle (475 students), Central Elem. (447 students), and Southwest Elem. (441 students). See the Dexter R-Xi 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.