Enrollment
221
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 293075002121
Van Buren High — Van Buren, MO
Federal NCES profile for Van Buren High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 78
📋 Attendance 18
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: Van Buren R-I · 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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.7%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Van Buren High 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
Van Buren High reports 221 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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: 46.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 1% above the Missouri average and 10% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 111 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Van Buren R-I spends $11,657 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.6% from local sources (property taxes), 39.5% from the state, and 19.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Van Buren High 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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 3% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.7% | ▲ 1% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 221 | top 33% | — | — |
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
46.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 1% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 45% in Missouri — lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
32.6%
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
$11,657
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 111 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 221 Top 33% in Missouri — larger than 67% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 12.5:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.7% +1% vs state
NCES ID 293075002121
Student demographics
White 95.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Two or More 0.9%
Largest group: White at 95.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 111:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.6%
In-school suspensions 26
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Van Buren R-I, which includes Van Buren High.
$11,657
Per student
-24%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.6%
State 39.5%
Federal 19.9%
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
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
Similar other schools in Van Buren
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Van Buren High
How many students attend Van Buren High?
Van Buren High has 221 students enrolled. It is a other school in VAN BUREN, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Van Buren High?
The student-teacher ratio at Van Buren High is 12.5:1, which is 3% 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 Van Buren High?
46.7% of students at Van Buren High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Van Buren High?
The largest demographic group at Van Buren High is White at 95.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in VAN BUREN, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Van Buren High?
Van Buren High has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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.