Enrollment
932
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 292545001947
Poplar Bluff Middle School — Poplar Bluff, MO
Federal NCES profile for Poplar Bluff Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 36
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: Poplar Bluff 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)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.6%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Poplar Bluff Middle School 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
Poplar Bluff Middle School reports 932 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 60.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 32% 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 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 65.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 42% above the Missouri average and 27% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 466 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Poplar Bluff R-I spends $11,465 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 42.8% from local sources (property taxes), 36.8% from the state, and 20.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Poplar Bluff Middle School 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 32% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.6% | ▲ 42% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 932 | top 94% | — | — |
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
65.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 42% 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
17:1
students per teacher
— 32% above state mean
Top 93% in Missouri — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.8%
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
$11,465
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 466 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
153
in-school suspensions + 89 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 178 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 932 Top 94% in Missouri — larger than 6% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 60.0
Students per teacher 17:1 +32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 65.6% +42% vs state
NCES ID 292545001947
Student demographics
White 77.4%
African American 10.2%
Two or More 8.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.6%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 77.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 466:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.8%
In-school suspensions 153
Out-of-school suspensions 89
Expulsions 178
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poplar Bluff R-I, which includes Poplar Bluff Middle School.
$11,465
Per student
-25%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 42.8%
State 36.8%
Federal 20.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,416
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 735
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 344
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 317
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Poplar Bluff
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
O'Neal Elem.
Standard public school
344 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Poplar Bluff Kindergarten Ctr.
Standard public school
333 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Oak Grove Elem.
Standard public school
317 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Lake Road Elem.
Standard public school
300 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Eugene Field Elem.
Standard public school
227 students 10.5:1 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 Poplar Bluff Middle School
How many students attend Poplar Bluff Middle School?
Poplar Bluff Middle School has 932 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in POPLAR BLUFF, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Poplar Bluff Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Poplar Bluff Middle School is 17:1, which is 32% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Poplar Bluff Middle School?
65.6% of students at Poplar Bluff Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Poplar Bluff Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Poplar Bluff Middle School is White at 77.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in POPLAR BLUFF, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Poplar Bluff Middle School?
Poplar Bluff Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.