Enrollment
1,299
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Sunbury, OH
Big Walnut High School
Federal NCES profile for Big Walnut High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 390467402638
👥 S:T ratio 10
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Big Walnut High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Ohio schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Ohio.
- #6 of 7
- public schools in Sunbury · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.4:1
- large classes for Ohio
- 10.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Big Walnut High School has class sizes larger than 87% of Ohio schools. Computed live against every Ohio school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Big Walnut High School ranks #6 of 7 public schools in Sunbury, OH.
School address
District: Big Walnut Local · Ohio
NCES ID 390467402638 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
58.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.4:1
vs 18.2:1 Ohio avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.8%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
-66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Walnut High School compares with Ohio and U.S. medians
What stands out at Big Walnut High School
Big Walnut High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Sunbury, Ohio, enrolling 1,299 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22.4:1 is larger than about 87% of Ohio schools and 23% above the 18.2:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.8% free-meal eligibility runs 66% below the Ohio average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Ohio, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,299 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,574 scored Ohio schools.
Among 164 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Ohio schools statewide, it ranks #156, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 433 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Big Walnut Local also operates Big Walnut Middle School (973 students) and Big Walnut Intermediate School (663 students) alongside Big Walnut High School.
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 Big Walnut High School compares
Big Walnut High School on the metrics families compare, against Ohio and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.4:1 | ▲ 23% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.8% | ▼ 66% | 31.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,299 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.4:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,299
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 66% below the Ohio average of 31.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22.4:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 87% in Ohio - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
19.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,810
per pupil, district-wide
- below Ohio avg of $14,655
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 433 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
46
in-school suspensions + 35 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 88.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.4%
Two or More 3.1%
Asian 1.8%
African American 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 88.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.1, Big Walnut High School is less mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Big Walnut Local, which includes Big Walnut High School.
$11,810
Per student
-19%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 76.4%
State 16.9%
Federal 6.7%
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 Big Walnut High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Walnut Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Big Walnut Intermediate School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Prairie Run Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| General Rosecrans Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Big Walnut Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Big Walnut High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 973
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 663
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 296
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 295
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Ohio, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,299 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Big Walnut High School's federal record.
- Compare Big Walnut High School against another school. Compare schools
- Big Walnut Local'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 Big Walnut High School
How many students attend Big Walnut High School?
Big Walnut High School has 1,299 students enrolled. It is a high school in Sunbury, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Walnut High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Walnut High School is 22.4:1, which is 23% higher than the Ohio average of 18.2:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Big Walnut High School?
10.8% of students at Big Walnut High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Walnut High School?
The largest demographic group at Big Walnut High School is White at 88.0% of enrollment, in Sunbury, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Walnut High School?
Big Walnut High School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Big Walnut High School rank among public schools in Sunbury?
By Resource Investment Index, Big Walnut High School ranks #6 of 7 public schools in Sunbury, OH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Sunbury on the city page.
Is Big Walnut High School a good school?
Big Walnut High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Ohio schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Ohio. 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 Big Walnut Local?
Besides Big Walnut High School, Big Walnut Local also operates Big Walnut Middle School (973 students), Big Walnut Intermediate School (663 students), and Prairie Run Elementary School (352 students). See the Big Walnut Local 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.