Enrollment
644
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · St Joseph, MO
Lafayette High
Federal NCES profile for Lafayette High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 292706001660
👥 S:T ratio 50
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 14
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lafayette High earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in St Joseph · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.4:1
- students per teacher
- 99.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Lafayette High has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lafayette High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in St Joseph, MO.
School address
District: St. Joseph · Missouri
NCES ID 292706001660 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.6%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+116% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lafayette High compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lafayette High
Lafayette High is a high-poverty, large high school in St Joseph, Missouri, enrolling 644 students.
At 12.4:1, 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 is high: 99.6% of students qualify for free meals, 116% above the Missouri average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 644 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 2,313 Missouri schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 104 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #80, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and Two or More (13%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 55/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 4 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 322 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 177 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 644 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
St. Joseph also operates Central High (1,733 students) and Benton High (682 students) alongside Lafayette High.
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 Lafayette High compares
Lafayette High on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.4:1 | ▼ 3% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.6% | ▲ 116% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 644 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
644
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 116% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 46% in Missouri - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
34.2%
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
$11,308
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 322 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
145
in-school suspensions + 32 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 22.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.5 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 64.4%
Two or More 12.7%
Hispanic or Latino 10.7%
African American 8.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.0%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 64.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.9, Lafayette High is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Joseph, which includes Lafayette High.
$11,308
Per student
-13%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.8%
State 30.4%
Federal 18.8%
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 Lafayette High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Benton High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Carden Park Elem | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Oak Grove Elem | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bode Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lafayette High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,733
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 682
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 638
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
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 (~644 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lafayette High's federal record.
- Compare Lafayette High against another school. Compare schools
- St. Joseph'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 Lafayette High
How many students attend Lafayette High?
Lafayette High has 644 students enrolled. It is a high school in St Joseph, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lafayette High?
The student-teacher ratio at Lafayette High is 12.4:1, which is 3% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 21% 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 Lafayette High?
99.6% of students at Lafayette High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lafayette High?
The largest demographic group at Lafayette High is White at 64.4% of enrollment, in St Joseph, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lafayette High?
Lafayette High has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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 Lafayette High rank among high schools in St Joseph?
By Resource Investment Index, Lafayette High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in St Joseph, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in St Joseph on the city page.
Is Lafayette High a good school?
Lafayette High earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. It is also more 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 St. Joseph?
Besides Lafayette High, St. Joseph also operates Central High (1,733 students), Benton High (682 students), and Carden Park Elem (638 students). See the St. Joseph 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.