Enrollment
139
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 551584003091 Charter school
Chain Exploration Center — Waupaca, WI
Federal NCES profile for Chain Exploration Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 86
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: Waupaca 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)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.2%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chain Exploration Center 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
Chain Exploration Center reports 139 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% 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 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% below the Wisconsin average and 51% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 463 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Waupaca School District spends $15,990 per pupil district-wide, below the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.4% from local sources (property taxes), 43.0% from the state, and 11.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Chain Exploration Center 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 21% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.2% | ▼ 35% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 139 | top 21% | — | — |
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
25.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
— 21% below state mean
Top 26% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
5.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$15,990
per pupil, district-wide
— below Wisconsin avg of $18,610
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 463 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 139 Top 21% in Wisconsin — larger than 79% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 11.9:1 -21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.2% -35% vs state
NCES ID 551584003091
Student demographics
White 90.6%
Two or More 5.8%
Hispanic or Latino 2.9%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 90.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 463:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waupaca School District, which includes Chain Exploration Center.
$15,990
Per student
-14%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 45.4%
State 43.0%
Federal 11.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 602
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Enrollment
- 546
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 133
- Students per teacher
- 26:1
Similar other schools in Waupaca
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Chain Exploration Center
How many students attend Chain Exploration Center?
Chain Exploration Center has 139 students enrolled. It is a other school in Waupaca, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chain Exploration Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Chain Exploration Center is 11.9:1, which is 21% lower than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 25% 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 Chain Exploration Center?
25.2% of students at Chain Exploration Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chain Exploration Center?
The largest demographic group at Chain Exploration Center is White at 90.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waupaca, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chain Exploration Center?
Chain Exploration Center has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 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.