Dent County Schools & Education
Dent County, Missouri
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
53/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Midrange Signal
Graduation Rate
97.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
97.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 91.3%
Per-Pupil Spending
$5,742
National avg $13,239
State avg $6,334
School Score
53/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 43/100
State Score Position
#30
of 115 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Dent County
Measured School Summary
Dent County performs at an average level with a school score of 53/100 and a solid graduation rate of 97.0%.
Funding Context
At $5,742 per pupil, Dent County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 23% above the Missouri average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 5.7 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 9% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Dent County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
9 public schools and 5 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
53/100
Mixed county signal. Ranks #30 of 115 Missouri counties with school score data.
Completion
97.0%
5.7 pts above the state average
Funding context
$5,742
$592 below the state average
School coverage
9
5 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Dent County has 9 public schools across 5 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Dent County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Mixed school landscape
Dent County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.
State position
#30
of 115 Missouri counties with school score data. The county score is 10 points above the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
SALEM R-80
Elementary to high school visible
1,464 students
4 listed schools in this county slice.
DENT-PHELPS R-III
Elementary school only in this slice
273 students
1 listed school in this county slice.
NORTH WOOD R-IV
Elementary school only in this slice
215 students
1 listed school in this county slice.
GREEN FOREST R-II
Elementary school only in this slice
155 students
1 listed school in this county slice.
District reality check
SALEM R-80 is the largest listed district slice, with 4 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Dent County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Dent County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Dent County Graduation Rate Reaches 97 Percent
Education data brief for Dent County, Missouri.
The high school graduation rate in Dent County stands at 97.0%, a figure that is significantly higher than the Missouri state average of 91.3% and the national benchmark of 87.0%. While graduation rates are elevated, the county reports a per-pupil expenditure of $5,742, which is lower than the state average of $6,334 and less than half of the national average spending of $13,000 per student. The local educational landscape includes nine public schools serving a total enrollment of 2,245 students. Salem R-80 is the largest district in the county, managing four schools and 1,464 students, including Salem Senior High, which is the largest individual school with 616 students. The county also maintains one special education school. Most schools are located in town or rural settings, with no charter schools operating in the area. The composite school score for the county is 52.9, which sits above the state average of 43.1 and the national median of 50.0. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
9
in Dent County
Reported Enrollment
2,245
9 schools reporting
School Districts
5
districts
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
5 School Districts in Dent County
SALEM R-80
DENT-PHELPS R-III
NORTH WOOD R-IV
GREEN FOREST R-II
OAK HILL R-I
9 Public Schools in Dent County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 9 of 9 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SALEM SR. HIGH | Record | SALEM R-80 | SALEM, 65560Town: Remote | 9–12 | High | 616 |
| SALEM UPPER ELEM. | Record | SALEM R-80 | SALEM, 65560Town: Remote | 2–5 | Primary | 336 |
| DENT-PHELPS ELEM. | Record | DENT-PHELPS R-III | SALEM, 65560Rural: Distant | PK–8 | Primary | 273 |
| SALEM MIDDLE SCHOOL | Record | SALEM R-80 | SALEM, 65560Town: Remote | 6–8 | Middle | 265 |
| WM. H. LYNCH ELEM. | Record | SALEM R-80 | SALEM, 65560Town: Remote | PK–1 | Primary | 247 |
| NORTH WOOD ELEM. | Record | NORTH WOOD R-IV | SALEM, 65560Rural: Fringe | PK–8 | Primary | 215 |
| GREEN FOREST ELEM. | Record | GREEN FOREST R-II | SALEM, 65560Rural: Distant | KG–8 | Primary | 155 |
| OAK HILL ELEM. | Record | OAK HILL R-I | SALEM, 65560Rural: Distant | KG–8 | Primary | 131 |
| OZARK HILLS SCHOOL | Record | MO SCHLS FOR THE SEV DISABLED | SALEM, 65560Town: Remote | KG–12 | Special Education | 7 |
OZARK HILLS SCHOOL
MO SCHLS FOR THE SEV DISABLED
SALEM, 65560 / Town: Remote
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$5,742
State avg $6,334
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Dent County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
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See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
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Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.