Enrollment
300
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Festus, MO
Jefferson High School
Federal NCES profile for Jefferson High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 291623003144
👥 S:T ratio 46
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jefferson High School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- #8 of 8
- public schools in Festus · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.6:1
- students per teacher
- 17.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Jefferson High School has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson High School ranks #8 of 8 public schools in Festus, MO.
School address
District: Jefferson Co. R-Vii · Missouri
NCES ID 291623003144 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jefferson High School compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jefferson High School
Jefferson High School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized high school in Festus, Missouri, enrolling 300 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.0% free-meal eligibility runs 63% below the Missouri average.
With 300 students, its enrollment sits close to the Missouri median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Among 285 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #247, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 13/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 300 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Jefferson Co. R-Vii also operates Danby-Rush Tower Middle (246 students) and Telegraph Intermediate (230 students) alongside Jefferson High School.
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 Jefferson High School compares
Jefferson High School on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.6:1 | ▲ 6% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.0% | ▼ 63% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 300 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
300
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 63% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 64% in Missouri - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.7%
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
$11,250
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 300 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 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 93.0%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Two or More 2.3%
African American 2.0%
Largest group: White at 93.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.3, Jefferson High School is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson Co. R-Vii, which includes Jefferson High School.
$11,250
Per student
-13%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 78.1%
State 13.4%
Federal 8.5%
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 Jefferson High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danby-Rush Tower Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Telegraph Intermediate | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Plattin Primary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jefferson R-Vii Preschool | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jefferson High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 246
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 230
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 203
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 57
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
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 (~300 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jefferson High School's federal record.
- Compare Jefferson High School against another school. Compare schools
- Jefferson Co. R-Vii'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 Jefferson High School
How many students attend Jefferson High School?
Jefferson High School has 300 students enrolled. It is a high school in Festus, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jefferson High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Jefferson High School is 13.6:1, which is 6% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jefferson High School?
17.0% of students at Jefferson High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jefferson High School?
The largest demographic group at Jefferson High School is White at 93.0% of enrollment, in Festus, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jefferson High School?
Jefferson High School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Jefferson High School rank among public schools in Festus?
By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson High School ranks #8 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 Jefferson High School a good school?
Jefferson High School earns 33/100 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 Jefferson Co. R-Vii?
Besides Jefferson High School, Jefferson Co. R-Vii also operates Danby-Rush Tower Middle (246 students), Telegraph Intermediate (230 students), and Plattin Primary (203 students). See the Jefferson Co. R-Vii 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.