Enrollment
1,635
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 550039000597
North High — Appleton, WI
Federal NCES profile for North High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 30
📚 AP courses 95
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 18
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)
89.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.6%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North High 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
North High reports 1,635 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 89.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% 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 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 24.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% below the Wisconsin average and 53% below the national baseline. The school offers 19 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 409 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.9% 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 38/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 North High 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 | 17.5:1 | ▲ 16% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.6% | ▼ 36% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,635 | top 99% | — | — |
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
24.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 16% above state mean
Top 89% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.9%
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 409 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
38
in-school suspensions + 77 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,635 Top 99% in Wisconsin — larger than 1% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 89.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 +16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 24.6% -36% vs state
NCES ID 550039000597
Student demographics
White 66.1%
Hispanic or Latino 12.5%
Asian 10.9%
Two or More 5.0%
African American 4.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 66.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 19
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 409:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.9%
In-school suspensions 38
Out-of-school suspensions 77
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Appleton Area School District, which includes North High.
$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
- 1,238
- 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
- Enrollment
- 743
- Students per teacher
- 34.2:1
Similar high schools in Appleton
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
East High
Standard public school
1,238 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
West High
Standard public school
1,024 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Renaissance School
Standard public school
151 students 51.7:1 students per teacher
Tesla Engineering Charter School
Standard public school
147 students 49.7:1 students per teacher
Fox Cities Leadership Academy
Standard public school
78 students 29:1 students per teacher
Appleton Technical Academy
Vocational / career-technical school
68 students 30.7:1 students per teacher
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 North High
How many students attend North High?
North High has 1,635 students enrolled. It is a high school in Appleton, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North High?
The student-teacher ratio at North High is 17.5:1, which is 16% higher than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at North High?
24.6% of students at North High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North High?
The largest demographic group at North High is White at 66.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Appleton, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North High?
North High has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.