Enrollment
63
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Nelson, NE
Lawrence/Nelson High Sch
Federal NCES profile for Lawrence/Nelson High Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 310012200806
👥 S:T ratio 68
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 69
📋 Attendance 9
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lawrence/Nelson High Sch earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Nebraska schools.
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 7.9:1
- small classes for Nebraska
- 23.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 63
- students enrolled
Lawrence/Nelson High Sch has class sizes smaller 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 310012200806 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.9:1
vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg
-41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.8%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lawrence/Nelson High Sch compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lawrence/Nelson High Sch
Lawrence/Nelson High Sch is a small high school in Nelson, Nebraska, enrolling 63 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.9:1, Lawrence/Nelson High Sch is leaner than roughly 90% of Nebraska schools and 41% under the state's 13.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 63 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 82 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #58.
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 158 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
South Central Nebraska Unified 5 also operates Sandy Creek Elementary School (209 students) and Sandy Creek High School (110 students) alongside Lawrence/Nelson High Sch.
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 High Sch compares
Lawrence/Nelson High Sch on the metrics families compare, against Nebraska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.9:1 | ▼ 41% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.8% | ▼ 23% | 30.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 63 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.9:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
63
Bigger than 7% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% 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
7.9:1
students per teacher
- 41% below state mean
Top 10% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
36.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
Counselors0.4 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.5 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
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Central Nebraska Unified 5, which includes Lawrence/Nelson High Sch.
$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 High Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Creek Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sandy Creek High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sandy Creek Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clay Co Learning Center - Fairfield | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lawrence/Nelson High Sch'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 high 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 (~63 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~7.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lawrence/Nelson High Sch's federal record.
- Compare Lawrence/Nelson High Sch 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 High Sch
How many students attend Lawrence/Nelson High Sch?
Lawrence/Nelson High Sch has 63 students enrolled. It is a high school in Nelson, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lawrence/Nelson High Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Lawrence/Nelson High Sch is 7.9:1, which is 41% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 50% 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 Lawrence/Nelson High Sch?
23.8% of students at Lawrence/Nelson High Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lawrence/Nelson High Sch?
Lawrence/Nelson High Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Lawrence/Nelson High Sch a good school?
Lawrence/Nelson High Sch earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller 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 High Sch, 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.