Enrollment
2,042
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 180540000968
Jefferson High School — Lafayette, IN
Federal NCES profile for Jefferson High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 23
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: Lafayette School Corporation · Indiana
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)
141.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.7%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jefferson High School compares with Indiana 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
Jefferson High School reports 2,042 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 141.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% above the Indiana average and 21% above the national baseline. The school offers 7 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 340 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lafayette School Corporation spends $16,116 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.3% from local sources (property taxes), 58.7% from the state, and 14.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Jefferson High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15:1 | ▼ 7% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.7% | ▲ 27% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,042 | top 98% | — | — |
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
62.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 44% in Indiana — lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
30.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,116
per pupil, district-wide
— above Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 340 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
260
in-school suspensions + 173 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,042 Top 98% in Indiana — larger than 2% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 141.0
Students per teacher 15:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.7% +27% vs state
NCES ID 180540000968
Student demographics
White 38.2%
Hispanic or Latino 34.6%
African American 20.0%
Two or More 6.4%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 38.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 340:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.8%
In-school suspensions 260
Out-of-school suspensions 173
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lafayette School Corporation, which includes Jefferson High School.
$16,116
Per student
+11%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.3%
State 58.7%
Federal 14.0%
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
- 1,031
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 550
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 444
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
Similar high schools in Lafayette
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Jefferson High School
How many students attend Jefferson High School?
Jefferson High School has 2,042 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lafayette, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jefferson High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Jefferson High School is 15:1, which is 7% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 6% 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 Jefferson High School?
62.7% of students at Jefferson High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jefferson High School?
The largest demographic group at Jefferson High School is White at 38.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lafayette, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jefferson High School?
Jefferson High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 5 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.