Enrollment
265
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 290002702914 Charter school
University Academy-Middle — Kansas City, MO
Federal NCES profile for University Academy-Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 71
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: University Academy · 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.9%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+115% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How University Academy-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
University Academy-Middle reports 265 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 98.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 115% above the Missouri average and 91% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 265 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding University Academy spends $16,454 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.2% from local sources (property taxes), 56.2% from the state, and 25.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 University Academy-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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 2% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.9% | ▲ 115% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 265 | top 41% | — | — |
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
98.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 115% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 46% in Missouri — lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
11.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,454
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 265 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
21
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 265 Top 41% in Missouri — larger than 59% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 12.6:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 98.9% +115% vs state
NCES ID 290002702914
Student demographics
African American 94.7%
White 4.2%
Hispanic or Latino 1.1%
Largest group: African American at 94.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 265:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.7%
In-school suspensions 21
Out-of-school suspensions 43
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for University Academy, which includes University Academy-Middle.
$16,454
Per student
+8%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.2%
State 56.2%
Federal 25.6%
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
- 609
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 237
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
Similar middle schools in Kansas City
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
New Mark Middle
Standard public school
965 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Smith-Hale Middle
Standard public school
770 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Walden Middle
Standard public school
730 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Northgate Middle
Standard public school
689 students 13:1 students per teacher
Plaza Middle
Standard public school
673 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Raytown Middle
Standard public school
667 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
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 University Academy-Middle
How many students attend University Academy-Middle?
University Academy-Middle has 265 students enrolled. It is a middle school in KANSAS CITY, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at University Academy-Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at University Academy-Middle is 12.6:1, which is 2% lower than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 21% 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 University Academy-Middle?
98.9% of students at University Academy-Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of University Academy-Middle?
The largest demographic group at University Academy-Middle is African American at 94.7%. The school serves a student body in KANSAS CITY, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for University Academy-Middle?
University Academy-Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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.