Enrollment
270
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 550729002878 Charter school
New Directions Learning Community — Kaukauna, WI
Federal NCES profile for New Directions Learning Community, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 63
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: Kaukauna 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)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.7%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-70% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How New Directions Learning Community 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
New Directions Learning Community reports 270 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% above the Wisconsin state mean of 15.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 11.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 70% below the Wisconsin average and 77% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 900 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kaukauna Area School District spends $15,647 per pupil district-wide, below the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.7% from local sources (property taxes), 59.5% from the state, and 8.8% 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 New Directions Learning Community 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 | 17.1:1 | ▲ 13% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.7% | ▼ 70% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 270 | top 44% | — | — |
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
11.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 70% 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
17.1:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 88% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,647
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 900 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 270 Top 44% in Wisconsin — larger than 56% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 17.1:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 11.7% -70% vs state
NCES ID 550729002878
Student demographics
White 91.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 3.0%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 91.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 900:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kaukauna Area School District, which includes New Directions Learning Community.
$15,647
Per student
-16%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.7%
State 59.5%
Federal 8.8%
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
- 1,210
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 1,160
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 359
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
Similar other schools in Kaukauna
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 New Directions Learning Community
How many students attend New Directions Learning Community?
New Directions Learning Community has 270 students enrolled. It is a other school in Kaukauna, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at New Directions Learning Community?
The student-teacher ratio at New Directions Learning Community is 17.1:1, which is 13% higher than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at New Directions Learning Community?
11.7% of students at New Directions Learning Community are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of New Directions Learning Community?
The largest demographic group at New Directions Learning Community is White at 91.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Kaukauna, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for New Directions Learning Community?
New Directions Learning Community 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.