Middle school (grades 6-8) · Lincoln, NE

Culler Middle School

Federal NCES profile for Culler Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 317284001141
0/100100/10046/100
👥 S:T ratio
56
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
55
📋 Attendance
3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Culler Middle School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Nebraska schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Nebraska schools.

#10 of 12
middle schools in Lincoln · Resource Index
46
Resource Index · Typical
10.9:1
small classes for Nebraska
64.4%
free-lunch eligible

Culler Middle School has class sizes smaller than 71% of Nebraska schools. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Culler Middle School ranks #10 of 12 middle schools in Lincoln, NE.

School address

Enrollment

677

Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

62.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

10.9:1

vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg

-19% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

64.4%

vs 30.9% Nebraska avg

+108% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Culler Middle School compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Culler Middle School

Culler Middle School is a higher-need, large middle school in Lincoln, Nebraska, enrolling 677 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Nebraska schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 64.4% of students qualify for free meals, 108% above the Nebraska average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Nebraska, bigger than 91% of state schools at 677 students.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,003 scored Nebraska schools.

Against 26 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #9.

Its student body is led by White (41%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 226 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Lincoln Public Schools spends $12,831 per pupil, 27% below the Nebraska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Discipline events run high: 277 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 677 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 5 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Lincoln Public Schools also operates Southwest High School (2,110 students) and Lincoln High School (2,086 students) alongside Culler Middle 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 Culler Middle School compares

Culler Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Nebraska and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Nebraska Nebraska avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 10.9:1 ▼ 19% 13.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 64.4% ▲ 108% 30.9% 51.7%
Enrollment 677 top 9% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

10.9:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
677
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
64.4%
free-lunch eligible - 108% above the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher - 19% below state mean
Top 29% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
38.7%
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
$12,831
per pupil, district-wide - below Nebraska avg of $17,680
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 226 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
126
in-school suspensions + 151 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 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 40.5%
Hispanic or Latino 27.5%
African American 15.2%
Two or More 9.5%
Asian 6.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%

Largest group: White at 40.5% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 72.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 72.4, Culler Middle School is more mixed than the Nebraska school average of 34.9.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lincoln Public Schools, which includes Culler Middle School.

$12,831
Per student
-27%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.5%
State 30.0%
Federal 12.5%

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 Culler Middle School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Southwest High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Lincoln High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Lincoln East High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
North Star High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Lincoln Southeast High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Culler Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Lincoln Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Nebraska, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Culler Middle School's federal record.

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 Culler Middle School

How many students attend Culler Middle School?

Culler Middle School has 677 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Lincoln, NE.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Culler Middle School?

The student-teacher ratio at Culler Middle School is 10.9:1, which is 19% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 31% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Culler Middle School?

64.4% of students at Culler Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Culler Middle School?

The largest demographic group at Culler Middle School is White at 40.5% of enrollment, in Lincoln, NE. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Culler Middle School?

Culler Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Culler Middle School rank among middle schools in Lincoln?

By Resource Investment Index, Culler Middle School ranks #10 of 12 middle schools in Lincoln, NE. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Lincoln on the city page.

Is Culler Middle School a good school?

Culler Middle School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Nebraska schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Nebraska 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 Lincoln Public Schools?

Besides Culler Middle School, Lincoln Public Schools also operates Southwest High School (2,110 students), Lincoln High School (2,086 students), and Lincoln East High School (1,982 students). See the Lincoln Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.