Enrollment
404
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · St Joseph, MO
Spring Garden Middle
Federal NCES profile for Spring Garden Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 292706001673
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Spring Garden Middle earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- #2 of 4
- middle schools in St Joseph · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 99.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Spring Garden Middle has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Spring Garden Middle ranks #2 of 4 middle schools in St Joseph, MO.
School address
District: St. Joseph · Missouri
NCES ID 292706001673 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.4%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+116% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spring Garden Middle compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Spring Garden Middle
Spring Garden Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in St Joseph, Missouri, enrolling 404 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 99.4% of students qualify for free meals, 116% above the Missouri average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 404 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 92% of the 2,313 Missouri schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 208 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #166, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 404 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 277 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 404 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
St. Joseph also operates Central High (1,733 students) and Benton High (682 students) alongside Spring Garden 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 Spring Garden Middle compares
Spring Garden 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 | 99.4% | ▲ 116% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 404 | top 34% | - | - |
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.
404
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 116% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
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
42.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,308
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 404 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
169
in-school suspensions + 108 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 41.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 68.6 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 70.5%
Hispanic or Latino 13.9%
Two or More 9.4%
African American 4.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 70.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.3, Spring Garden Middle is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Joseph, which includes Spring Garden Middle.
$11,308
Per student
-13%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.8%
State 30.4%
Federal 18.8%
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 Spring Garden Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Benton High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lafayette High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Carden Park Elem | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Oak Grove Elem | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Spring Garden Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,733
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 682
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 644
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 638
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar middle 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 (~404 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Spring Garden Middle's federal record.
- Compare Spring Garden Middle against another school. Compare schools
- St. Joseph'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 Spring Garden Middle
How many students attend Spring Garden Middle?
Spring Garden Middle has 404 students enrolled. It is a middle school in St Joseph, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spring Garden Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Spring Garden 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 Spring Garden Middle?
99.4% of students at Spring Garden Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spring Garden Middle?
The largest demographic group at Spring Garden Middle is White at 70.5% of enrollment, in St Joseph, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spring Garden Middle?
Spring Garden Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical 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 Spring Garden Middle rank among middle schools in St Joseph?
By Resource Investment Index, Spring Garden Middle ranks #2 of 4 middle schools in St Joseph, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in St Joseph on the city page.
Is Spring Garden Middle a good school?
Spring Garden Middle earns 34/100 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 St. Joseph?
Besides Spring Garden Middle, St. Joseph also operates Central High (1,733 students), Benton High (682 students), and Lafayette High (644 students). See the St. Joseph 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.