Enrollment
73
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Zalma, MO
Zalma High
Federal NCES profile for Zalma High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 293249002270
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 85
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Zalma High earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.1:1
- small classes for Missouri
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 73
- students enrolled
Zalma High has class sizes smaller than 87% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.1:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+117% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Zalma High compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Zalma High
Zalma High is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Zalma, Missouri, enrolling 73 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.1:1, Zalma High is leaner than roughly 87% of Missouri schools and 29% under the state's 12.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 100.0% of students qualify for free meals, 117% above the Missouri average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of Missouri schools, with 73 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 24 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #11.
Its student body is predominantly White (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 3/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 73 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 28.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 26 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 73 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Its district, Zalma R-V, also runs Zalma Elem. (101 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 Zalma High compares
Zalma 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 | 9.1:1 | ▼ 29% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 117% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 73 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.1:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
73
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 117% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
9.1:1
students per teacher
- 29% below state mean
Top 13% in Missouri - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.5%
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
$13,014
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 73 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 35.6 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
White 98.6%
African American 1.4%
Largest group: White at 98.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 2.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 2.8, Zalma High is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Zalma R-V, which includes Zalma High.
$13,014
Per student
+1%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.0%
State 42.3%
Federal 28.7%
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 Zalma High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zalma Elem. | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Zalma High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 101
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
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 (~73 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Zalma High's federal record.
- Compare Zalma High against another school. Compare schools
- Zalma R-V'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 Zalma High
How many students attend Zalma High?
Zalma High has 73 students enrolled. It is a public school in Zalma, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Zalma High?
The student-teacher ratio at Zalma High is 9.1:1, which is 29% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 42% 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 Zalma High?
100.0% of students at Zalma High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Zalma High?
The largest demographic group at Zalma High is White at 98.6% of enrollment, in Zalma, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Zalma High?
Zalma High has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher 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 Zalma High a good school?
Zalma High earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools. 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 Zalma R-V?
Besides Zalma High, Zalma R-V also operates Zalma Elem. (101 students). See the Zalma R-V 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.