Enrollment
724
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 291383002857
West Middle — Hazelwood, MO
Federal NCES profile for West Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 3
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
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)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.8%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West 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
West Middle reports 724 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 46.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% above the Missouri state mean of 12.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 47.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 4% above the Missouri average and 8% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 241 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hazelwood spends $13,951 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.7% from local sources (property taxes), 20.8% from the state, and 26.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 West 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 | 15.9:1 | ▲ 23% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.8% | ▲ 4% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 724 | top 90% | — | — |
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
47.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 4% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 23% above state mean
Top 87% in Missouri — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.7%
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
$13,951
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 241 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
104
in-school suspensions + 175 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 38.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 724 Top 90% in Missouri — larger than 10% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 46.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 +23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 47.8% +4% vs state
NCES ID 291383002857
Student demographics
African American 67.0%
White 17.3%
Two or More 7.2%
Hispanic or Latino 7.0%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 67.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 241:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.7%
In-school suspensions 104
Out-of-school suspensions 175
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hazelwood, which includes West Middle.
$13,951
Per student
-9%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.7%
State 20.8%
Federal 26.5%
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
- 1,994
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,718
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,310
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Enrollment
- 770
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 702
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
Similar middle schools in Hazelwood
1 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 West Middle
How many students attend West Middle?
West Middle has 724 students enrolled. It is a middle school in HAZELWOOD, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at West Middle is 15.9:1, which is 23% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Middle?
47.8% of students at West Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Middle?
The largest demographic group at West Middle is African American at 67.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in HAZELWOOD, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Middle?
West Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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.