Enrollment
407
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · St Louis, MO
Sumner High
Federal NCES profile for Sumner High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 292928002009
👥 S:T ratio 10
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 4
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sumner High earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #25 of 26
- high schools in St Louis · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.6:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 98.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Sumner High has class sizes larger than 99% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sumner High ranks #25 of 26 high schools in St Louis, MO.
School address
District: St. Louis City · Missouri
NCES ID 292928002009 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.6:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+77% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.9%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+115% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sumner High compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sumner High
Sumner High is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in St Louis, Missouri, enrolling 407 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22.6:1 is larger than about 99% of Missouri schools and 77% above the 12.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 98.9% of students qualify for free meals, 115% above the Missouri average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 407 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 2,313 Missouri schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 203 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #199, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 3/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 271 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding St. Louis City spends $17,843 per pupil, 38% above the Missouri average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 16.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 118 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 407 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
St. Louis City also operates Gateway High (860 students) and Roosevelt High (734 students) alongside Sumner High.
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 Sumner High compares
Sumner High on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.6:1 | ▲ 77% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.9% | ▲ 115% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 407 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.6:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
407
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
98.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 115% 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
22.6:1
students per teacher
- 77% above state mean
Top 99% in Missouri - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
38.3%
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
$17,843
per pupil, district-wide
- above Missouri avg of $12,931
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 271 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
58
in-school suspensions + 60 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.0 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
African American 98.5%
White 0.5%
Hispanic or Latino 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 98.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 3.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 3.0, Sumner High is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Louis City, which includes Sumner High.
$17,843
Per student
+38%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 78.0%
State 5.8%
Federal 16.2%
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 Sumner High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Vashon High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mckinley Class. Leadership Ac. | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Stix Early Childhood Ctr. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sumner High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 860
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 734
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 610
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 472
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar high 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 (~407 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sumner High's federal record.
- Compare Sumner High against another school. Compare schools
- St. Louis City'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 Sumner High
How many students attend Sumner High?
Sumner High has 407 students enrolled. It is a high school in St Louis, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sumner High?
The student-teacher ratio at Sumner High is 22.6:1, which is 77% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 44% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sumner High?
98.9% of students at Sumner High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sumner High?
The largest demographic group at Sumner High is African American at 98.5% of enrollment, in St Louis, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sumner High?
Sumner High has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sumner High rank among high schools in St Louis?
By Resource Investment Index, Sumner High ranks #25 of 26 high schools in St Louis, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in St Louis on the city page.
Is Sumner High a good school?
Sumner High earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools. 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. Louis City?
Besides Sumner High, St. Louis City also operates Gateway High (860 students), Roosevelt High (734 students), and Vashon High (621 students). See the St. Louis City 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.