Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs

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. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Wauneta, Nebraska - 3 schools

An equity score of 70/100 ranks Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs #32 of 200 districts in Nebraska (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $20,519 per pupil, Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs ranks #58 of 244 Nebraska districts by per-pupil spending (Nebraska districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

230
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$20,519
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs operates 3 public schools serving 230 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Nebraska. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Chase County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $20,519 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 244 Nebraska districts by per-pupil spending. See how Nebraska compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 71.8% local, 12.8% state, and 15.4% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 70/100, ranked #32 of 200 in Nebraska against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (7 AP courses district-wide), a 230:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 33.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 86.9% White, 9.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Wauneta Palisade Middle School, with a diversity index of 27.9/100.

Its largest campus is Palisade Attendance Center, enrolling 95 students (45% of the district's total enrollment).

Palisade Attendance Center accounts for 41.3% of all Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs school enrollment varies 2.5× across entities

Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs school enrollment ranges from 38 students (lowest) to 95 students (highest), a spread of 57 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs student-counselor ratio is 230:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs chronic absenteeism rate is 33.3% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

15.4%
Federal
12.8%
State
71.8%
Local

Funding Equity

70
Equity Score
32 / 200
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 3 schools in Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs.

White 86.9%
Hispanic or Latino 9.4%
African American 1.6%
Multiracial 1.7%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 23.4/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs's schools, below the Nebraska average of 34.9.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Wauneta Palisade Middle School 27.9
  2. 2 Wauneta-Palisade High School 26.7
  3. 3 Palisade Attendance Center 15.7

Programs & Resources

1 / 3
Schools with AP
7 AP courses total
230:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
33.3%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs

School Enrollment
Palisade Attendance Center
95
Wauneta-Palisade High School
79
Wauneta Palisade Middle School
38

How Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Nebraska districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Silver Lake Public Schools Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Wilcox-Hildreth Public Schools Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Dorchester Public School Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Diller-Odell Public Schools Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Clarkson Public Schools Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Nebraska

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Omaha Public Schools
51,754 students · 111 schools · $14,202/pupil
Compare vs Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs →
Lincoln Public Schools
41,850 students · 76 schools · $12,831/pupil
Compare vs Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs →
Millard Public Schools
23,637 students · 36 schools · $11,075/pupil
Compare vs Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs →
Elkhorn Public Schools
11,319 students · 20 schools · $11,003/pupil
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Compare Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Omaha Public Schools →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs?

Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs has 3 schools, including 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 230 students.

How much does Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs spend per student?

Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs spends $20,519 per student. The district has an equity score of 70/100, ranking #32 in Nebraska.

What is the demographic composition of Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs?

Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs students are 86.9% White, 9.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% African American, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs?

Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs has an equity score of 70/100, ranking #32 out of 200 districts in Nebraska.