Enrollment
1,417
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 291548000724
William Chrisman High — Independence, MO
Federal NCES profile for William Chrisman High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 32
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 10
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: Independence 30 · 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)
83.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.6%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How William Chrisman 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
William Chrisman High reports 1,417 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 83.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 31% 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 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 52.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 14% above the Missouri average and 2% above the national baseline. The school offers 3 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 354 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Independence 30 spends $16,029 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 42.9% from local sources (property taxes), 35.3% from the state, and 21.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 William Chrisman 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 31% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.6% | ▲ 14% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,417 | top 98% | — | — |
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
52.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 14% 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
16.9:1
students per teacher
— 31% above state mean
Top 92% in Missouri — lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
35.9%
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
$16,029
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 354 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
302
in-school suspensions + 207 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 35.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,417 Top 98% in Missouri — larger than 2% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 83.0
Students per teacher 16.9:1 +31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 52.6% +14% vs state
NCES ID 291548000724
Student demographics
White 53.1%
Hispanic or Latino 18.1%
African American 14.9%
Two or More 11.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 53.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 3
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 354:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.9%
In-school suspensions 302
Out-of-school suspensions 207
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Independence 30, which includes William Chrisman High.
$16,029
Per student
+5%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,720
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,067
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 902
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 744
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
Similar high schools in Independence
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 William Chrisman High
How many students attend William Chrisman High?
William Chrisman High has 1,417 students enrolled. It is a high school in INDEPENDENCE, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at William Chrisman High?
The student-teacher ratio at William Chrisman High is 16.9:1, which is 31% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at William Chrisman High?
52.6% of students at William Chrisman High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of William Chrisman High?
The largest demographic group at William Chrisman High is White at 53.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in INDEPENDENCE, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for William Chrisman High?
William Chrisman High has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.