Enrollment
1,075
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 292061001104
Mcdonald County High — Anderson, MO
Federal NCES profile for Mcdonald County High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 29
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
District: Mcdonald Co. R-I · Missouri
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)
70.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.1%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mcdonald County 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
Mcdonald County High reports 1,075 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 70.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% 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 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 52.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% above the Missouri average and 1% above the national baseline. The school offers 8 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 269 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mcdonald Co. R-I spends $11,685 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.9% from local sources (property taxes), 48.3% from the state, and 17.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), 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 Mcdonald County 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 | 15:1 | ▲ 16% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.1% | ▲ 13% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,075 | top 96% | — | — |
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
52.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% 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
15:1
students per teacher
— 16% above state mean
Top 80% in Missouri — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
28.3%
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
$11,685
per pupil, district-wide
— below Missouri avg of $15,248
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 269 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
304
in-school suspensions + 85 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 28.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 36.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,075 Top 96% in Missouri — larger than 4% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 70.0
Students per teacher 15:1 +16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 52.1% +13% vs state
NCES ID 292061001104
Student demographics
White 62.2%
Hispanic or Latino 23.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 6.8%
Two or More 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.0%
Asian 1.0%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 62.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 8
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 269:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.3%
In-school suspensions 304
Out-of-school suspensions 85
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcdonald Co. R-I, which includes Mcdonald County High.
$11,685
Per student
-23%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.9%
State 48.3%
Federal 17.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 521
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 350
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 349
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 347
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 275
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
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 Mcdonald County High
How many students attend Mcdonald County High?
Mcdonald County High has 1,075 students enrolled. It is a high school in ANDERSON, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mcdonald County High?
The student-teacher ratio at Mcdonald County High is 15:1, which is 16% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mcdonald County High?
52.1% of students at Mcdonald County High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mcdonald County High?
The largest demographic group at Mcdonald County High is White at 62.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in ANDERSON, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mcdonald County High?
Mcdonald County High has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) 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.