Enrollment
648
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Ashland, MO
Southern Boone Middle
Federal NCES profile for Southern Boone Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 292856001596
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southern Boone Middle earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Ashland · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 13.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Southern Boone Middle has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Boone Middle ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Ashland, MO.
School address
District: Southern Boone Co. R-I · Missouri
NCES ID 292856001596 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.4%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern Boone Middle compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southern Boone Middle
Southern Boone Middle is a lower-poverty, large elementary school in Ashland, Missouri, enrolling 648 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 13.4% free-meal eligibility runs 71% below the Missouri average.
Enrollment of 648 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 289 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #38.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 324 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Southern Boone Co. R-I spends $9,728 per pupil, 25% below the Missouri average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Southern Boone Co. R-I also operates Southern Boone High (570 students) and Southern Boone Primary (471 students) alongside Southern Boone Middle.
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 Southern Boone Middle compares
Southern Boone Middle on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.4% | ▼ 71% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 648 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
648
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
13.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 63% in Missouri - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
9.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$9,728
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 324 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
59
in-school suspensions + 35 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.5 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 87.0%
Two or More 5.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
African American 1.4%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 87.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.7, Southern Boone Middle is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southern Boone Co. R-I, which includes Southern Boone Middle.
$9,728
Per student
-25%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 39.6%
Federal 7.8%
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 Southern Boone Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Boone High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southern Boone Primary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southern Boone Elem. | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southern Boone Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 570
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 471
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 282
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
Similar elementary 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 (~648 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southern Boone Middle's federal record.
- Compare Southern Boone Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Southern Boone Co. R-I'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 Southern Boone Middle
How many students attend Southern Boone Middle?
Southern Boone Middle has 648 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Ashland, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern Boone Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern Boone Middle is 13.5:1, which is 5% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southern Boone Middle?
13.4% of students at Southern Boone Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern Boone Middle?
The largest demographic group at Southern Boone Middle is White at 87.0% of enrollment, in Ashland, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern Boone Middle?
Southern Boone Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Southern Boone Middle rank among public schools in Ashland?
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Boone Middle ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Ashland, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Ashland on the city page.
Is Southern Boone Middle a good school?
Southern Boone Middle earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. 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 Southern Boone Co. R-I?
Besides Southern Boone Middle, Southern Boone Co. R-I also operates Southern Boone High (570 students), Southern Boone Primary (471 students), and Southern Boone Elem. (282 students). See the Southern Boone Co. R-I 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.