Enrollment
53
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Nelson, NE
Lawrence - Nelson Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Lawrence - Nelson Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 310012202321
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 72
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lawrence - Nelson Middle School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Nebraska schools.
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.7:1
- large classes for Nebraska
- 32.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 53
- students enrolled
Lawrence - Nelson Middle School has class sizes larger than 90% of Nebraska schools. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: South Central Nebraska Unified 5 · Nebraska
NCES ID 310012202321 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.1%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lawrence - Nelson Middle School compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lawrence - Nelson Middle School
Lawrence - Nelson Middle School is a small middle school in Nelson, Nebraska, enrolling 53 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.7:1 is larger than about 90% of Nebraska schools and 31% above the 13.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 32.1% lands close to the Nebraska typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 53 puts it in the smaller third of Nebraska schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,003 scored Nebraska schools.
Against 57 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #40.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 265 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
11.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
South Central Nebraska Unified 5 also operates Sandy Creek Elementary School (209 students) and Sandy Creek High School (110 students) alongside Lawrence - Nelson Middle School.
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 Lawrence - Nelson Middle School compares
Lawrence - Nelson Middle 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 | 17.7:1 | ▲ 31% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.1% | ▲ 4% | 30.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 53 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.7:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
53
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
17.7:1
students per teacher
- 31% above state mean
Top 90% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$19,203
per pupil, district-wide
- above Nebraska avg of $17,680
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Central Nebraska Unified 5, which includes Lawrence - Nelson Middle School.
$19,203
Per student
+9%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
+16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.9%
State 14.6%
Federal 10.5%
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 Lawrence - Nelson Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Creek Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sandy Creek High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sandy Creek Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Clay Co Learning Center - Fairfield | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lawrence - Nelson Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 209
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 110
- Students per teacher
- 7.9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 96
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 87
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 63
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar middle 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 (~53 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lawrence - Nelson Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Lawrence - Nelson Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- South Central Nebraska Unified 5'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 Lawrence - Nelson Middle School
How many students attend Lawrence - Nelson Middle School?
Lawrence - Nelson Middle School has 53 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Nelson, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lawrence - Nelson Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lawrence - Nelson Middle School is 17.7:1, which is 31% higher than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lawrence - Nelson Middle School?
32.1% of students at Lawrence - Nelson Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lawrence - Nelson Middle School?
Lawrence - Nelson Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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 Lawrence - Nelson Middle School a good school?
Lawrence - Nelson Middle School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% 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 South Central Nebraska Unified 5?
Besides Lawrence - Nelson Middle School, South Central Nebraska Unified 5 also operates Sandy Creek Elementary School (209 students), Sandy Creek High School (110 students), and Sandy Creek Middle School (96 students). See the South Central Nebraska Unified 5 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.