Enrollment
129
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 550852003095
Capital High — Madison, WI
Federal NCES profile for Capital High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 69
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 74
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Madison Metropolitan School District · Wisconsin
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.7:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
-49% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.4%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
+91% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Capital High compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Capital High reports 129 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 7.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 49% below the Wisconsin state mean of 15.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 52% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 73.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 91% above the Wisconsin average and 42% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 129 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Madison Metropolitan School District spends $20,303 per pupil district-wide, above the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 72.6% from local sources (property taxes), 18.4% from the state, and 9.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Capital High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Wisconsin state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.7:1 | ▼ 49% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.4% | ▲ 91% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 129 | top 19% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
73.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 91% above the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
7.7:1
students per teacher
— 49% below state mean
Top 2% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
100.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$20,303
per pupil, district-wide
— above Wisconsin avg of $18,610
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 129 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 129 Top 19% in Wisconsin — larger than 81% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 7.7:1 -49% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 73.4% +91% vs state
NCES ID 550852003095
Student demographics
African American 44.2%
Hispanic or Latino 20.9%
Two or More 15.5%
White 14.0%
Asian 5.4%
Largest group: African American at 44.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 129:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison Metropolitan School District, which includes Capital High.
$20,303
Per student
+9%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 72.6%
State 18.4%
Federal 9.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,222
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,004
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,643
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,541
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
Similar high schools in Madison
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
West High
Standard public school
2,222 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Vel Phillips Memorial High
Standard public school
2,004 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
East High
Standard public school
1,643 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Lafollette High
Standard public school
1,541 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Innovative High
Alternative education program
138 students 7.8:1 students per teacher
Shabazz-City High
Alternative education program
106 students 9.3:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Capital High
How many students attend Capital High?
Capital High has 129 students enrolled. It is a high school in Madison, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Capital High?
The student-teacher ratio at Capital High is 7.7:1, which is 49% lower than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 52% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Capital High?
73.4% of students at Capital High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Capital High?
The largest demographic group at Capital High is African American at 44.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Madison, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Capital High?
Capital High has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.