Enrollment
89
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dorchester, NE
Dorchester High School
Federal NCES profile for Dorchester High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 316984000913
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dorchester High School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Nebraska schools.
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.9:1
- small classes for Nebraska
- 31.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 89
- students enrolled
Dorchester High School has class sizes smaller than 85% of Nebraska schools. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Dorchester Public School · Nebraska
NCES ID 316984000913 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.9:1
vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg
-34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.9%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dorchester High School compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dorchester High School
Dorchester High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Dorchester, Nebraska, enrolling 89 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.9:1, Dorchester High School is leaner than roughly 85% of Nebraska schools and 34% under the state's 13.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 31.9% lands close to the Nebraska typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 89 puts it in the smaller third of Nebraska schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,003 scored Nebraska schools.
Against 141 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #80.
Its student body is led by White (57%) and Hispanic or Latino (39%) (diversity index 52/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 178 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district, Dorchester Public School, also runs Dorchester Elementary School (141 students).
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 Dorchester High School compares
Dorchester High 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 | 8.9:1 | ▼ 34% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.9% | ▲ 3% | 30.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 89 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.9:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
89
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% above the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
8.9:1
students per teacher
- 34% below state mean
Top 15% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
28.1%
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
$16,814
per pupil, district-wide
- below Nebraska avg of $17,680
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 57.3%
Hispanic or Latino 39.3%
Two or More 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Largest group: White at 57.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.7, Dorchester High School is more mixed than the Nebraska school average of 34.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dorchester Public School, which includes Dorchester High School.
$16,814
Per student
-5%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 68.5%
State 21.4%
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 Dorchester High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dorchester High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 141
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 71/100
Similar other 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.
Similar enrollment (~89 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dorchester High School's federal record.
- Compare Dorchester High School against another school. Compare schools
- Dorchester Public School'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 Dorchester High School
How many students attend Dorchester High School?
Dorchester High School has 89 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dorchester, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dorchester High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dorchester High School is 8.9:1, which is 34% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 43% 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 Dorchester High School?
31.9% of students at Dorchester High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dorchester High School?
The largest demographic group at Dorchester High School is White at 57.3% of enrollment, in Dorchester, NE. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dorchester High School?
Dorchester High School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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).
Is Dorchester High School a good school?
Dorchester High School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of 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 Dorchester Public School?
Besides Dorchester High School, Dorchester Public School also operates Dorchester Elementary School (141 students). See the Dorchester Public School 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.