Enrollment
1,485
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 292358001394
South High — Manchester, MO
Federal NCES profile for South High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 40
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: Parkway C-2 · 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)
106.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South 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
South High reports 1,485 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 106.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 19.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 59% below the Missouri average and 63% below the national baseline. The school offers 25 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 248 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Parkway C-2 spends $16,347 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 89.1% from local sources (property taxes), 4.2% from the state, and 6.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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 South 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 | 15.1:1 | ▲ 17% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.0% | ▼ 59% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,485 | top 98% | — | — |
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
19.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 59% 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
15.1:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 82% in Missouri — lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.0%
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
$16,347
per pupil, district-wide
— above Missouri avg of $15,248
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 248 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 99 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,485 Top 98% in Missouri — larger than 2% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 106.0
Students per teacher 15.1:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 19.0% -59% vs state
NCES ID 292358001394
Student demographics
White 64.0%
African American 12.9%
Asian 9.8%
Two or More 6.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 64.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 25
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 248:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.0%
In-school suspensions 25
Out-of-school suspensions 99
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Parkway C-2, which includes South High.
$16,347
Per student
+7%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 89.1%
State 4.2%
Federal 6.7%
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
- 1,417
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,281
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 990
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 881
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 814
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
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 South High
How many students attend South High?
South High has 1,485 students enrolled. It is a high school in MANCHESTER, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South High?
The student-teacher ratio at South High is 15.1:1, which is 17% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South High?
19.0% of students at South High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South High?
The largest demographic group at South High is White at 64.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in MANCHESTER, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South High?
South High has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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.