Enrollment
1,395
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 291782000946
Ladue Horton Watkins High — St Louis, MO
Federal NCES profile for Ladue Horton Watkins High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 55/100.
👥 Class size 44
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 49
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
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)
94.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.4%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-77% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ladue Horton Watkins 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
Ladue Horton Watkins High reports 1,395 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 94.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% 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 12% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 10.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 77% below the Missouri average and 80% below the national baseline. The school offers 24 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 233 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ladue spends $26,386 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 94.0% from local sources (property taxes), 3.3% from the state, and 2.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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 Ladue Horton Watkins 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 | 14:1 | ▲ 9% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.4% | ▼ 77% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,395 | top 97% | — | — |
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
10.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 77% 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
14:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 68% in Missouri — lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
20.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$26,386
per pupil, district-wide
— above Missouri avg of $15,248
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 233 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 67 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,395 Top 97% in Missouri — larger than 3% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 94.0
Students per teacher 14:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 10.4% -77% vs state
NCES ID 291782000946
Student demographics
White 51.3%
Asian 18.3%
African American 17.1%
Two or More 8.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 51.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 24
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 233:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.6%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 67
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ladue, which includes Ladue Horton Watkins High.
$26,386
Per student
+73%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
+35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 94.0%
State 3.3%
Federal 2.7%
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
- 1,053
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Enrollment
- 392
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 376
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
Similar high schools in St Louis
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Ritenour Sr. High
Standard public school
2,041 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Oakville Sr. High
Standard public school
1,847 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Mehlville High School
Standard public school
1,388 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Hazelwood East High
Standard public school
1,310 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Webster Groves High
Standard public school
1,253 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Riverview Gardens Sr. High
Standard public school
1,246 students 20.5:1 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 Ladue Horton Watkins High
How many students attend Ladue Horton Watkins High?
Ladue Horton Watkins High has 1,395 students enrolled. It is a high school in ST LOUIS, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ladue Horton Watkins High?
The student-teacher ratio at Ladue Horton Watkins High is 14:1, which is 9% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 12% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ladue Horton Watkins High?
10.4% of students at Ladue Horton Watkins High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ladue Horton Watkins High?
The largest demographic group at Ladue Horton Watkins High is White at 51.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in ST LOUIS, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ladue Horton Watkins High?
Ladue Horton Watkins High has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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.