Fort Osage R-I
Fort Osage R-I is a public school district based in Independence, Missouri, serving 4,718 students in 11 schools. By enrollment it ranks #43 of the 166 Missouri districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 75% of them. Its schools average 429 students each, about the same as the Missouri median of 443. Its superintendent is Dr. Cynthia Grant. It spends about $10,267 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 13.3 students per teacher.
How Fort Osage R-I compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Fort Osage R-I | Missouri median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $10,267 | $10,251 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $5,882 | $5,958 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $57.8 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $70.8 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 356 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 795 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 13.3 | 13.4 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 295 | 312 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Missouri median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Dr. Cynthia Grant
Source: Missouri DESE, School Directory, checked 2026-10-05. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in Missouri
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Charles R-VISt Charles | 4,732 | 12 | $15,593 | 9.6 | #42 |
| Fort Osage R-IIndependence · this district | 4,718 | 11 | $10,267 | 13.3 | #43 |
| Branson R-IVBranson | 4,653 | 7 | $9,613 | 14.2 | #44 |
| LadueSt Louis | 4,624 | 8 | $14,393 | 13.9 | #45 |
| Webb City R-VIIWebb City | 4,623 | 11 | $8,522 | 15.2 | #46 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belleville Twp HSD 201Belleville, IL | 4,718 | $18,219 | 15.7 |
| Ohio County SchoolsWheeling, WV | 4,718 | $14,426 | 12.1 |
| Warren CityWarren, OH | 4,717 | $16,188 | 17.0 |
| Mechanicsburg Area School DistrictMechanicsburg, PA | 4,717 | $14,936 | 14.5 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-mo-fort-osage-r-i