Enrollment
927
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 291619000495
Thomas Jefferson Middle — Jefferson City, MO
Federal NCES profile for Thomas Jefferson Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 14
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: Jefferson City · 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)
77.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.6%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas Jefferson Middle 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
Thomas Jefferson Middle reports 927 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 77.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the Missouri state mean of 12.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 22% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 40.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 12% below the Missouri average and 22% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 314 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jefferson City spends $13,972 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 66.7% from local sources (property taxes), 19.0% from the state, and 14.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Thomas Jefferson Middle 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 4% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.6% | ▼ 12% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 927 | top 94% | — | — |
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
40.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 12% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.4:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 43% in Missouri — lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
34.5%
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
$13,972
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 314 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
234
in-school suspensions + 167 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 25.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 43.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 927 Top 94% in Missouri — larger than 6% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 77.0
Students per teacher 12.4:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 40.6% -12% vs state
NCES ID 291619000495
Student demographics
White 59.1%
African American 19.7%
Hispanic or Latino 9.2%
Two or More 9.0%
Asian 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 59.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 314:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.5%
In-school suspensions 234
Out-of-school suspensions 167
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson City, which includes Thomas Jefferson Middle.
$13,972
Per student
-8%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 66.7%
State 19.0%
Federal 14.4%
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
- 1,353
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,314
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 966
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 440
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Enrollment
- 396
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
Similar middle schools in Jefferson City
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 Thomas Jefferson Middle
How many students attend Thomas Jefferson Middle?
Thomas Jefferson Middle has 927 students enrolled. It is a middle school in JEFFERSON CITY, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas Jefferson Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas Jefferson Middle is 12.4:1, which is 4% lower than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thomas Jefferson Middle?
40.6% of students at Thomas Jefferson Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas Jefferson Middle?
The largest demographic group at Thomas Jefferson Middle is White at 59.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in JEFFERSON CITY, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas Jefferson Middle?
Thomas Jefferson Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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.