Enrollment
221
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Van Buren, MO
Van Buren High
Federal NCES profile for Van Buren High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 293075002121
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 78
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Van Buren High earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.3:1
- students per teacher
- 46.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 221
- students enrolled
Van Buren High has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Van Buren R-I · Missouri
NCES ID 293075002121 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-4% 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
What stands out at Van Buren High
Van Buren High is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Van Buren, Missouri, enrolling 221 students.
At 12.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Missouri median, within a few percentage points of the 12.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 46.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 221 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Among 325 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #253, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment) (diversity index 9/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 111 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 45 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 221 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 5 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Its district, Van Buren R-I, also runs Van Buren Elem. (245 students).
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 Van Buren High compares
Van Buren 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 | 12.3:1 | ▼ 4% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.7% | ▲ 1% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 221 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
221
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 44% in Missouri - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
32.6%
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
$10,495
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 8.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.7, Van Buren High is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Van Buren R-I, which includes Van Buren High.
$10,495
Per student
-19%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Van Buren High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren Elem. | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Van Buren High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar other 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 (~221 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Van Buren High's federal record.
- Compare Van Buren High against another school. Compare schools
- Van Buren R-I'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 Van Buren High
How many students attend Van Buren High?
Van Buren High has 221 students enrolled. It is a public school in Van Buren, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Van Buren High?
The student-teacher ratio at Van Buren High is 12.3:1, which is 4% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. 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% of enrollment, 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 (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).
Is Van Buren High a good school?
Van Buren High earns 44/100 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 Van Buren R-I?
Besides Van Buren High, Van Buren R-I also operates Van Buren Elem. (245 students). See the Van Buren R-I 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.