Enrollment
553
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 290100000317
West Middle School — Columbia, MO
Federal NCES profile for West Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 19
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: Columbia 93 · 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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.8%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Middle School 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 School reports 553 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 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: 48.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% above the Missouri average and 6% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 221 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Columbia 93 spends $15,957 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 64.5% from local sources (property taxes), 25.3% from the state, and 10.2% 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 West Middle School 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 | 48.8% | ▲ 6% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 553 | top 82% | — | — |
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
48.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 6% 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
32.5%
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
$15,957
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
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 221 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
79
in-school suspensions + 86 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 553 Top 82% in Missouri — larger than 18% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 12.6:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 48.8% +6% vs state
NCES ID 290100000317
Student demographics
White 48.3%
African American 28.2%
Two or More 12.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.2%
Asian 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 48.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.5
Students per counselor 221:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.5%
In-school suspensions 79
Out-of-school suspensions 86
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia 93, which includes West Middle School.
$15,957
Per student
+5%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 64.5%
State 25.3%
Federal 10.2%
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
- 2,007
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,997
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,492
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 736
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 656
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
Similar middle schools in Columbia
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Ann Hawkins Gentry Middle
Standard public school
736 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Smithton Middle
Standard public school
605 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Jefferson Middle School
Standard public school
593 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Oakland Middle School
Standard public school
589 students 11.1:1 students per teacher
John Warner Middle School
Standard public school
579 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
John B. Lange Middle
Standard public school
510 students 10.8:1 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 West Middle School
How many students attend West Middle School?
West Middle School has 553 students enrolled. It is a middle school in COLUMBIA, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at West Middle School 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 West Middle School?
48.8% of students at West Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Middle School?
The largest demographic group at West Middle School is White at 48.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in COLUMBIA, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Middle School?
West Middle School 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.