Enrollment
591
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Kearney, MO
Kearney Middle
Federal NCES profile for Kearney Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 291645002872
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kearney Middle earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Missouri schools.
- #2 of 9
- public schools in Kearney · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.1:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 13.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Kearney Middle has class sizes larger than 71% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kearney Middle ranks #2 of 9 public schools in Kearney, MO.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.2%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kearney Middle compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kearney Middle
Kearney Middle is a lower-poverty, large middle school in Kearney, Missouri, enrolling 591 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 13.2% free-meal eligibility runs 71% below the Missouri average.
Enrollment of 591 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 314 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #84.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 296 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
15.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Kearney R-I also operates Kearney High (814 students) and Kearney Jr. High (510 students) alongside Kearney Middle.
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 Kearney Middle compares
Kearney Middle on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.1:1 | ▲ 10% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.2% | ▼ 71% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 591 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
591
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
13.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 71% in Missouri - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,205
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 296 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
27
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.8 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 88.3%
Two or More 5.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
African American 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 88.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.5, Kearney Middle is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kearney R-I, which includes Kearney Middle.
$11,205
Per student
-13%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.5%
State 31.0%
Federal 6.4%
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 Kearney Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kearney High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kearney Jr. High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dogwood Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Southview Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hawthorne Elem. | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kearney Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 814
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 510
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 463
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 264
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar middle 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 (~591 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kearney Middle's federal record.
- Compare Kearney Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Kearney R-I'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 Kearney Middle
How many students attend Kearney Middle?
Kearney Middle has 591 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Kearney, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kearney Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Kearney Middle is 14.1:1, which is 10% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kearney Middle?
13.2% of students at Kearney Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kearney Middle?
The largest demographic group at Kearney Middle is White at 88.3% of enrollment, in Kearney, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kearney Middle?
Kearney Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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).
How does Kearney Middle rank among public schools in Kearney?
By Resource Investment Index, Kearney Middle ranks #2 of 9 public schools in Kearney, 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 Kearney on the city page.
Is Kearney Middle a good school?
Kearney Middle earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of 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 Kearney R-I?
Besides Kearney Middle, Kearney R-I also operates Kearney High (814 students), Kearney Jr. High (510 students), and Dogwood Elem. (463 students). See the Kearney R-I 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.