Enrollment
1,843
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 292895001860
Francis Howell High — St Charles, MO
Federal NCES profile for Francis Howell High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 59/100.
👥 Class size 20
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 53
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: Francis Howell R-Iii · 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)
92.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.9:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+54% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
5.7%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-88% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Francis Howell 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
Francis Howell High reports 1,843 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 92.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 54% 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 25% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 5.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 88% below the Missouri average and 89% below the national baseline. The school offers 20 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 230 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Francis Howell R-Iii spends $15,728 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 73.3% from local sources (property taxes), 19.7% from the state, and 6.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (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 Francis Howell 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 | 19.9:1 | ▲ 54% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 5.7% | ▼ 88% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,843 | 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
5.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 88% 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
19.9:1
students per teacher
— 54% above state mean
Top 98% in Missouri — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,728
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
Counselors8.0 FTE
Per 230 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
119
in-school suspensions + 80 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,843 Top 99% in Missouri — larger than 1% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 92.0
Students per teacher 19.9:1 +54% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 5.7% -88% vs state
NCES ID 292895001860
Student demographics
White 79.3%
African American 6.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.9%
Asian 4.6%
Two or More 4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 79.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 20
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 8.0
Students per counselor 230:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.0%
In-school suspensions 119
Out-of-school suspensions 80
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Francis Howell R-Iii, which includes Francis Howell High.
$15,728
Per student
+3%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 73.3%
State 19.7%
Federal 6.9%
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
- 1,750
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,716
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 971
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 865
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 847
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
Similar high schools in St Charles
4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Francis Howell Central High
Standard public school
1,750 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
Francis Howell North High
Standard public school
1,716 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
St. Charles High
Standard public school
782 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
St. Charles West High
Standard public school
645 students 10.9:1 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 Francis Howell High
How many students attend Francis Howell High?
Francis Howell High has 1,843 students enrolled. It is a high school in ST CHARLES, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Francis Howell High?
The student-teacher ratio at Francis Howell High is 19.9:1, which is 54% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Francis Howell High?
5.7% of students at Francis Howell High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Francis Howell High?
The largest demographic group at Francis Howell High is White at 79.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in ST CHARLES, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Francis Howell High?
Francis Howell High has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (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.