Enrollment
252
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 550897002941
Mellen Public School — Mellen, WI
Federal NCES profile for Mellen Public School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 57
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 32
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: Mellen 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.8:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.6%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mellen Public School 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
Mellen Public School reports 252 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% 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 32% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 8% below the Wisconsin average and 31% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 252 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mellen School District spends $17,437 per pupil district-wide, below the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.0% from local sources (property taxes), 53.6% from the state, and 19.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), 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 Mellen Public School 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 | 10.8:1 | ▼ 28% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.6% | ▼ 8% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 252 | top 39% | — | — |
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
35.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 8% below the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.8:1
students per teacher
— 28% below state mean
Top 15% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
27.4%
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
$17,437
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 252 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 252 Top 39% in Wisconsin — larger than 61% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 10.8:1 -28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.6% -8% vs state
NCES ID 550897002941
Student demographics
White 88.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.2%
African American 2.8%
Hispanic or Latino 2.4%
Asian 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: White at 88.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 252:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.4%
In-school suspensions 12
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mellen School District, which includes Mellen Public School.
$17,437
Per student
-6%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.0%
State 53.6%
Federal 19.4%
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.
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 Mellen Public School
How many students attend Mellen Public School?
Mellen Public School has 252 students enrolled. It is a other school in Mellen, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mellen Public School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mellen Public School is 10.8:1, which is 28% lower than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 32% 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 Mellen Public School?
35.6% of students at Mellen Public School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mellen Public School?
The largest demographic group at Mellen Public School is White at 88.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Mellen, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mellen Public School?
Mellen Public School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) 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.