Enrollment
93
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 310012300815
High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School — Polk, NE
Federal NCES profile for High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 71/100.
👥 Class size 66
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 81
📋 Attendance 65
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: High Plains Community Schools · Nebraska
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)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Nebraska avg
-38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.5%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School compares with Nebraska 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
High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School reports 93 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 38% below the Nebraska state mean of 13.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 47% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 27.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% below the Nebraska average and 47% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 93 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding High Plains Community Schools spends $31,932 per pupil district-wide, above the Nebraska average of $20,313 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 82.0% from local sources (property taxes), 10.9% from the state, and 7.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 71/100 (B), calculated from 4 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 High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Nebraska state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.5:1 | ▼ 38% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.5% | ▼ 11% | 30.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 93 | top 19% | — | — |
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
27.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% below the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
8.5:1
students per teacher
— 38% below state mean
Top 12% in Nebraska — lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$31,932
per pupil, district-wide
— above Nebraska avg of $20,313
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 93 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 93 Top 19% in Nebraska — larger than 81% of 1,010 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 8.5:1 -38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 27.5% -11% vs state
NCES ID 310012300815
Student demographics
White 83.9%
Hispanic or Latino 15.1%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: White at 83.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 93:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.0%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for High Plains Community Schools, which includes High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School.
$31,932
Per student
+57%
vs Nebraska
Avg $20,313
+64%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 82.0%
State 10.9%
Federal 7.0%
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
- 114
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
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 High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School
How many students attend High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School?
High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School has 93 students enrolled. It is a other school in POLK, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School?
The student-teacher ratio at High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School is 8.5:1, which is 38% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.6:1 and 47% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School?
27.5% of students at High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School?
The largest demographic group at High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School is White at 83.9%. The school serves a student body in POLK, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School?
High Plains Community Jr/Sr High School has a Resource Investment Index of 71/100 (B) based on 4 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.