Enrollment
456
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 550039002759 Charter school
Kaleidoscope Academy — Appleton, WI
Federal NCES profile for Kaleidoscope Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 0
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: Appleton Area School District · Wisconsin
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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.5%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kaleidoscope Academy compares with Wisconsin 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
Kaleidoscope Academy reports 456 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% below the Wisconsin state mean of 15.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% above the Wisconsin average and 24% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 285 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 45.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Appleton Area School District spends $14,757 per pupil district-wide, below the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.7% from local sources (property taxes), 48.8% from the state, and 11.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F), 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 Kaleidoscope Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Wisconsin state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 19% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.5% | ▲ 3% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 456 | top 74% | — | — |
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
39.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% above the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 33% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
45.4%
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
$14,757
per pupil, district-wide
— below Wisconsin avg of $18,610
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.6 FTE
Per 285 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
66
in-school suspensions + 41 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 456 Top 74% in Wisconsin — larger than 26% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 12.3:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.5% +3% vs state
NCES ID 550039002759
Student demographics
White 56.8%
Hispanic or Latino 19.1%
Two or More 9.9%
Asian 7.7%
African American 6.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 56.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.6
Students per counselor 285:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 45.4%
In-school suspensions 66
Out-of-school suspensions 41
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Appleton Area School District, which includes Kaleidoscope Academy.
$14,757
Per student
-21%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 39.7%
State 48.8%
Federal 11.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,635
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,238
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,024
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 929
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 851
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
Similar middle schools in Appleton
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Kaleidoscope Academy
How many students attend Kaleidoscope Academy?
Kaleidoscope Academy has 456 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Appleton, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kaleidoscope Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Kaleidoscope Academy is 12.3:1, which is 19% lower than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 23% 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 Kaleidoscope Academy?
39.5% of students at Kaleidoscope Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kaleidoscope Academy?
The largest demographic group at Kaleidoscope Academy is White at 56.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Appleton, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kaleidoscope Academy?
Kaleidoscope Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.