Enrollment
474
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Shorewood, WI
Atwater Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Atwater Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 551380001809
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Atwater Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Wisconsin schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Wisconsin schools.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Shorewood · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.3:1
- large classes for Wisconsin
- 22.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Atwater Elementary has class sizes larger than 82% of Wisconsin schools. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Atwater Elementary ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Shorewood, WI.
School address
District: Shorewood School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 551380001809 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.8%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Atwater Elementary compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Atwater Elementary
Atwater Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Shorewood, Wisconsin, enrolling 474 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Wisconsin schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 22.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 474 puts it in the larger third of Wisconsin schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Among 498 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Wisconsin schools statewide, it ranks #373, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and African American (14%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 474 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Shorewood's public schools, it stands alongside Lake Bluff Elementary (531 students): Atwater Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.3:1 vs 14.4:1).
Shorewood School District also operates Shorewood High (589 students) and Lake Bluff Elementary (531 students) alongside Atwater Elementary.
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 Atwater Elementary compares
Atwater Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▲ 13% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.8% | ▼ 41% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 474 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
474
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% below the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 82% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.4%
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
$15,165
per pupil, district-wide
- above Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 474 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 63.6%
African American 14.2%
Hispanic or Latino 7.8%
Asian 7.2%
Two or More 6.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 63.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.0, Atwater Elementary is more mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shorewood School District, which includes Atwater Elementary.
$15,165
Per student
+2%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 70.1%
State 23.3%
Federal 6.6%
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 Atwater Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shorewood High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lake Bluff Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Shorewood Intermediate | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| New Horizons for Learning | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Atwater Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 589
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 531
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 300
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 22
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other schools in Shorewood
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Wisconsin, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~474 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Atwater Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Atwater Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Shorewood School District'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 Atwater Elementary
How many students attend Atwater Elementary?
Atwater Elementary has 474 students enrolled. It is a public school in Shorewood, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Atwater Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Atwater Elementary is 16.3:1, which is 13% higher than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Atwater Elementary?
22.8% of students at Atwater Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Atwater Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Atwater Elementary is White at 63.6% of enrollment, in Shorewood, WI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Atwater Elementary?
Atwater Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical 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).
How does Atwater Elementary rank among public schools in Shorewood?
By Resource Investment Index, Atwater Elementary ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Shorewood, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Shorewood on the city page.
Is Atwater Elementary a good school?
Atwater Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Wisconsin schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Wisconsin 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 Shorewood School District?
Besides Atwater Elementary, Shorewood School District also operates Shorewood High (589 students), Lake Bluff Elementary (531 students), and Shorewood Intermediate (300 students). See the Shorewood School District 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.