Enrollment
1,067
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Independnce, MO
Van Horn High
Federal NCES profile for Van Horn High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 291548003096
👥 S:T ratio 29
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Van Horn High earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Missouri schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Missouri.
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.8:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 58.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,067
- students enrolled
Van Horn High has class sizes larger than 94% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Independence 30 · Missouri
NCES ID 291548003096 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.7%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Van Horn High compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Van Horn High
Van Horn High is a higher-need, large high school in Independnce, Missouri, enrolling 1,067 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.8:1 is larger than about 94% of Missouri schools and 39% above the 12.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 58.7% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Missouri, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,067 students.
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 42 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #42, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (39%) and White (35%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 356 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 306 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,067 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Independence 30 also operates Truman High (1,720 students) and William Chrisman High (1,417 students) alongside Van Horn 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 Van Horn High compares
Van Horn 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 | 17.8:1 | ▲ 39% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.7% | ▲ 27% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,067 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,067
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% 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
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 39% above state mean
Top 94% in Missouri - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.5%
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
$11,956
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 356 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
198
in-school suspensions + 108 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.7 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
Hispanic or Latino 38.9%
White 35.1%
African American 14.6%
Two or More 10.6%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 38.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.3, Van Horn High is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Independence 30, which includes Van Horn High.
$11,956
Per student
-8%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.9%
State 35.3%
Federal 21.8%
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 Horn High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truman High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| William Chrisman High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Clifford H. Nowlin Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bridger Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pioneer Ridge Middle | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Van Horn High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,720
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,417
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 902
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 744
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 (~1,067 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Van Horn High's federal record.
- Compare Van Horn High against another school. Compare schools
- Independence 30'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 Horn High
How many students attend Van Horn High?
Van Horn High has 1,067 students enrolled. It is a high school in Independnce, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Van Horn High?
The student-teacher ratio at Van Horn High is 17.8:1, which is 39% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Van Horn High?
58.7% of students at Van Horn High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Van Horn High?
The largest demographic group at Van Horn High is Hispanic or Latino at 38.9% of enrollment, in Independnce, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Van Horn High?
Van Horn High has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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).
Is Van Horn High a good school?
Van Horn High earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Missouri schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Missouri. 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 Independence 30?
Besides Van Horn High, Independence 30 also operates Truman High (1,720 students), William Chrisman High (1,417 students), and Clifford H. Nowlin Middle (902 students). See the Independence 30 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.