Enrollment
1,133
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 292783003143
Smith Cotton Junior High Schl — Sedalia, MO
Federal NCES profile for Smith Cotton Junior High Schl, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 42
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: Sedalia 200 · 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)
80.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.9%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith Cotton Junior High Schl 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
Smith Cotton Junior High Schl reports 1,133 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 80.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 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 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 19% above the Missouri average and 6% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 378 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sedalia 200 spends $10,920 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 41.7% from local sources (property taxes), 39.9% from the state, and 18.3% 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 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 Smith Cotton Junior High Schl 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 | 14.1:1 | ▲ 9% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.9% | ▲ 19% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,133 | 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
54.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 19% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 70% in Missouri — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
23.3%
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
$10,920
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 378 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
225
in-school suspensions + 133 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,133 Top 96% in Missouri — larger than 4% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 80.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.9% +19% vs state
NCES ID 292783003143
Student demographics
White 66.9%
Hispanic or Latino 21.4%
Two or More 6.9%
African American 3.0%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 66.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 378:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.3%
In-school suspensions 225
Out-of-school suspensions 133
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sedalia 200, which includes Smith Cotton Junior High Schl.
$10,920
Per student
-28%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-44%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 41.7%
State 39.9%
Federal 18.3%
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
- 1,551
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 396
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
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 Smith Cotton Junior High Schl
How many students attend Smith Cotton Junior High Schl?
Smith Cotton Junior High Schl has 1,133 students enrolled. It is a middle school in SEDALIA, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smith Cotton Junior High Schl?
The student-teacher ratio at Smith Cotton Junior High Schl is 14.1:1, which is 9% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Smith Cotton Junior High Schl?
54.9% of students at Smith Cotton Junior High Schl are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smith Cotton Junior High Schl?
The largest demographic group at Smith Cotton Junior High Schl is White at 66.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in SEDALIA, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith Cotton Junior High Schl?
Smith Cotton Junior High Schl has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) 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.