Enrollment
1,019
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Festus, MO
Festus Sr. High
Federal NCES profile for Festus Sr. High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 291203000481
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Festus Sr. High earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Missouri schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Missouri.
- #7 of 8
- public schools in Festus · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 28.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Festus Sr. High has class sizes larger than 96% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Festus Sr. High ranks #7 of 8 public schools in Festus, MO.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
55.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+45% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.8%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Festus Sr. High compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Festus Sr. High
Festus Sr. High is a large high school in Festus, Missouri, enrolling 1,019 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.5:1 is larger than about 96% of Missouri schools and 45% above the 12.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.8% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Missouri, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,019 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 137 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #87.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 340 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Festus R-Vi spends $9,928 per pupil, 23% below the Missouri average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Festus R-Vi also operates Festus Elem. (1,045 students) and Festus Intermediate (804 students) alongside Festus Sr. 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 Festus Sr. High compares
Festus Sr. 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 45% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.8% | ▼ 38% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,019 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,019
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 45% above state mean
Top 96% in Missouri - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.9%
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
$9,928
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 340 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
116
in-school suspensions + 68 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.1 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 86.6%
Two or More 7.3%
African American 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 86.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.3, Festus Sr. High is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Festus R-Vi, which includes Festus Sr. High.
$9,928
Per student
-23%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.2%
State 38.5%
Federal 12.3%
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 Festus Sr. High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Festus Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Festus Intermediate | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Festus Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Festus Sr. High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,045
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 804
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~1,019 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Festus Sr. High's federal record.
- Compare Festus Sr. High against another school. Compare schools
- Festus R-Vi'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 Festus Sr. High
How many students attend Festus Sr. High?
Festus Sr. High has 1,019 students enrolled. It is a high school in Festus, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Festus Sr. High?
The student-teacher ratio at Festus Sr. High is 18.5:1, which is 45% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Festus Sr. High?
28.8% of students at Festus Sr. High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Festus Sr. High?
The largest demographic group at Festus Sr. High is White at 86.6% of enrollment, in Festus, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Festus Sr. High?
Festus Sr. High has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Festus Sr. High rank among public schools in Festus?
By Resource Investment Index, Festus Sr. High ranks #7 of 8 public schools in Festus, 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 Festus on the city page.
Is Festus Sr. High a good school?
Festus Sr. High earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Missouri schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Missouri. 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 Festus R-Vi?
Besides Festus Sr. High, Festus R-Vi also operates Festus Elem. (1,045 students), Festus Intermediate (804 students), and Festus Middle (486 students). See the Festus R-Vi 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.