Enrollment
616
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Sparta, WI
Herrman Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Herrman Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 551416003110
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Herrman Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Wisconsin schools.
- #3 of 8
- public schools in Sparta · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.4:1
- small classes for Wisconsin
- 44.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Herrman Elementary has class sizes smaller than 85% of Wisconsin schools. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Herrman Elementary ranks #3 of 8 public schools in Sparta, WI.
School address
District: Sparta Area School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 551416003110 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.6%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Herrman Elementary compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Herrman Elementary
Herrman Elementary is a large elementary school in Sparta, Wisconsin, enrolling 616 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.4:1, Herrman Elementary is leaner than roughly 85% of Wisconsin schools and 28% under the state's 14.4:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 44.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 616 puts it in the larger third of Wisconsin schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Against 246 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #33.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 213 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Sparta's elementary schools, it stands alongside Sparta Meadowview Middle (687 students): Herrman Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (10.4:1 vs 9.8:1).
Sparta Area School District also operates Sparta High (871 students) and Sparta Meadowview Middle (687 students) alongside Herrman Elementary.
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 Herrman Elementary compares
Herrman Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.4:1 | ▼ 28% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.6% | ▲ 16% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 616 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
616
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% above the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 15% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
18.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,626
per pupil, district-wide
- below Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.9 FTE
Per 213 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 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 71.9%
Hispanic or Latino 20.8%
Two or More 3.1%
African American 1.6%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 71.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.8, Herrman Elementary is more mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sparta Area School District, which includes Herrman Elementary.
$14,626
Per student
-2%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.6%
State 59.0%
Federal 13.4%
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 Herrman Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sparta Meadowview Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Southside Early Learning Center | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sparta Montessori School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Innovations Stem Academy | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Herrman Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 871
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 687
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 268
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 161
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 90
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar elementary schools in Sparta
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Wisconsin, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~616 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Herrman Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Herrman Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Sparta Area School District'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 Herrman Elementary
How many students attend Herrman Elementary?
Herrman Elementary has 616 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Sparta, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Herrman Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Herrman Elementary is 10.4:1, which is 28% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 34% 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 Herrman Elementary?
44.6% of students at Herrman Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Herrman Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Herrman Elementary is White at 71.9% of enrollment, in Sparta, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Herrman Elementary?
Herrman Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Herrman Elementary rank among public schools in Sparta?
By Resource Investment Index, Herrman Elementary ranks #3 of 8 public schools in Sparta, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Sparta on the city page.
Is Herrman Elementary a good school?
Herrman Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Wisconsin 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 Sparta Area School District?
Besides Herrman Elementary, Sparta Area School District also operates Sparta High (871 students), Sparta Meadowview Middle (687 students), and Southside Early Learning Center (268 students). See the Sparta Area School District 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.