Enrollment
1,007
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Waterloo, IN
Dekalb High School
Federal NCES profile for Dekalb High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 180159000220
👥 S:T ratio 34
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 11
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dekalb High School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Indiana median.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Waterloo · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- students per teacher
- 30.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Dekalb High School has class sizes near the Indiana median. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dekalb High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Waterloo, IN.
School address
District: Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist · Indiana
NCES ID 180159000220 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
+4% 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
What stands out at Dekalb High School
Dekalb High School is a large high school in Waterloo, Indiana, enrolling 1,007 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 30.4% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Indiana, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,007 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Among 215 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Indiana schools statewide, it ranks #156, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 15 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 252 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 13 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist also operates Dekalb Middle School (759 students) and Mckenney-Harrison Elementary Sch (620 students) alongside Dekalb 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 Dekalb High School compares
Dekalb High School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.4% | ▼ 39% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,007 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,007
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 65% in Indiana - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
35.5%
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
$11,502
per pupil, district-wide
- below Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 20.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.0, Dekalb High School is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist, which includes Dekalb High School.
$11,502
Per student
-5%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Dekalb High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dekalb Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mckenney-Harrison Elementary Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James R Watson Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Country Meadow Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Waterloo Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dekalb High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 759
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 620
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 590
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 314
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 247
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,007 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dekalb High School's federal record.
- Compare Dekalb High School against another school. Compare schools
- Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist'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 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 16.5:1, which is 4% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Waterloo, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dekalb High School?
Dekalb High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical 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 Dekalb High School rank among public schools in Waterloo?
By Resource Investment Index, Dekalb High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Waterloo, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Waterloo on the city page.
Is Dekalb High School a good school?
Dekalb High School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Indiana median. 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 Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist?
Besides Dekalb High School, Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist also operates Dekalb Middle School (759 students), Mckenney-Harrison Elementary Sch (620 students), and James R Watson Elementary School (590 students). See the Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist 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.