Enrollment
1,007
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 180159000220
Dekalb High School — Waterloo, IN
Federal NCES profile for Dekalb High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 30
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 11
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: Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist · Indiana
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)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.4%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dekalb High School compares with Indiana 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
Dekalb High School reports 1,007 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 61.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% below the Indiana average and 41% below the national baseline. The school offers 15 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 252 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist spends $13,070 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.8% from local sources (property taxes), 59.1% from the state, and 10.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), 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 Dekalb High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.6:1 | ▲ 9% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.4% | ▼ 39% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,007 | top 92% | — | — |
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
30.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.6:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 77% in Indiana — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
35.5%
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
$13,070
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 252 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
70
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 13 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,007 Top 92% in Indiana — larger than 8% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 61.0
Students per teacher 17.6:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.4% -39% vs state
NCES ID 180159000220
Student demographics
White 89.2%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
African American 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 89.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 252:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.5%
In-school suspensions 70
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Expulsions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist, which includes Dekalb High School.
$13,070
Per student
-10%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.8%
State 59.1%
Federal 10.1%
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
- 759
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 620
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 590
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 314
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 247
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
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 Dekalb High School
How many students attend Dekalb High School?
Dekalb High School has 1,007 students enrolled. It is a high school in Waterloo, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dekalb High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dekalb High School is 17.6:1, which is 9% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dekalb High School?
30.4% of students at Dekalb High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dekalb High School?
The largest demographic group at Dekalb High School is White at 89.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waterloo, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dekalb High School?
Dekalb High School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.