Enrollment
759
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Waterloo, IN
Dekalb Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Dekalb Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 180159000221
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 63
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dekalb Middle School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Indiana median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Waterloo · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.2:1
- students per teacher
- 41.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Dekalb Middle School has class sizes near the Indiana median. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dekalb Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Waterloo, IN.
School address
District: Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist · Indiana
NCES ID 180159000221 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.9%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dekalb Middle School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dekalb Middle School
Dekalb Middle School is a large middle school in Waterloo, Indiana, enrolling 759 students.
At 15.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Indiana median, within a few percentage points of the 15.9:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 41.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 759 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Against 391 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #45.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 253 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist also operates Dekalb High School (1,007 students) and Mckenney-Harrison Elementary Sch (620 students) alongside Dekalb 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 Dekalb Middle School compares
Dekalb Middle 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 | 15.2:1 | ▼ 4% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.9% | ▼ 15% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 759 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
759
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 49% in Indiana - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 253 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
42
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 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 90.3%
Hispanic or Latino 6.2%
Two or More 2.2%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 90.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.0, Dekalb Middle School is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist, which includes Dekalb Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dekalb High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mckenney-Harrison Elementary Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James R Watson Elementary School | Similar size | 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 Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,007
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- 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 middle 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 (~759 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dekalb Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Dekalb Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Dekalb Middle School?
Dekalb Middle School has 759 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Waterloo, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dekalb Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dekalb Middle School is 15.2:1, which is 4% lower than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 3% 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 Dekalb Middle School?
41.9% of students at Dekalb Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dekalb Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Dekalb Middle School is White at 90.3% of enrollment, in Waterloo, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dekalb Middle School?
Dekalb Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Dekalb Middle School rank among public schools in Waterloo?
By Resource Investment Index, Dekalb Middle School ranks #2 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 Middle School a good school?
Dekalb Middle School earns 55/100 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 Middle School, Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist also operates Dekalb High School (1,007 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.