Enrollment
110
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Hardin, MO
Hardin-Central Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Hardin-Central Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 291368000596
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 78
📋 Attendance 86
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hardin-Central Elem. earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.2:1
- students per teacher
- 46.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 110
- students enrolled
Hardin-Central Elem. has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Hardin-Central C-2 · Missouri
NCES ID 291368000596 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.4%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hardin-Central Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hardin-Central Elem.
Hardin-Central Elem. is a small combined-grade school in Hardin, Missouri, enrolling 110 students.
At 12.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Missouri median, within a few percentage points of the 12.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 46.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 110 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 2,313 Missouri schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 146 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #20.
Its student body is predominantly White (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 4/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 110 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district, Hardin-Central C-2, also runs Hardin-Central High (95 students).
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 Hardin-Central Elem. compares
Hardin-Central Elem. on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.2:1 | ▼ 5% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.4% | ▲ 1% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 110 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
110
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% 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
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 43% in Missouri - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
5.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,470
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 110 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 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 98.2%
Two or More 1.8%
Largest group: White at 98.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 3.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 3.5, Hardin-Central Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hardin-Central C-2, which includes Hardin-Central Elem..
$12,470
Per student
-4%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 65.4%
State 27.6%
Federal 7.1%
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 Hardin-Central Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin-Central High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hardin-Central Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 95
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
Similar other 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 (~110 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hardin-Central Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Hardin-Central Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Hardin-Central C-2'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 Hardin-Central Elem.
How many students attend Hardin-Central Elem.?
Hardin-Central Elem. has 110 students enrolled. It is a public school in Hardin, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hardin-Central Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Hardin-Central Elem. is 12.2:1, which is 5% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hardin-Central Elem.?
46.4% of students at Hardin-Central Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hardin-Central Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Hardin-Central Elem. is White at 98.2% of enrollment, in Hardin, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hardin-Central Elem.?
Hardin-Central Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Hardin-Central Elem. a good school?
Hardin-Central Elem. earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools. 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 Hardin-Central C-2?
Besides Hardin-Central Elem., Hardin-Central C-2 also operates Hardin-Central High (95 students). See the Hardin-Central C-2 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.