Middle school (grades 6-8) · Lincoln, NE

Park Middle School

Federal NCES profile for Park Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 317284002122
0/100100/10044/100
👥 S:T ratio
50
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
44
📋 Attendance
11
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Park Middle School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Nebraska median. It is also one of the largest schools in Nebraska.

#12 of 12
middle schools in Lincoln · Resource Index
44
Resource Index · Typical
12.6:1
students per teacher
58.0%
free-lunch eligible

Park Middle School has class sizes near the Nebraska median. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Park Middle School ranks #12 of 12 middle schools in Lincoln, NE.

School address

Enrollment

843

Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

67.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

12.6:1

vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg

-7% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

58.0%

vs 30.9% Nebraska avg

+88% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Park Middle School compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Park Middle School

Park Middle School is a higher-need, large middle school in Lincoln, Nebraska, enrolling 843 students.

At 12.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Nebraska median, within a few percentage points of the 13.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Economic need is high: 58.0% of students qualify for free meals, 88% above the Nebraska average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Nebraska, bigger than 95% of state schools at 843 students.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,003 scored Nebraska schools.

Against 19 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #12.

Its student body is led by White (39%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 281 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Lincoln Public Schools spends $12,831 per pupil, 27% below the Nebraska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Discipline events run high: 336 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 843 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Lincoln Public Schools also operates Southwest High School (2,110 students) and Lincoln High School (2,086 students) alongside Park 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 Park Middle School compares

Park 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 12.6:1 ▼ 7% 13.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 58.0% ▲ 88% 30.9% 51.7%
Enrollment 843 top 5% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
843
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
58.0%
free-lunch eligible - 88% above the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher - 7% below state mean
Top 46% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.6%
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
$12,831
per pupil, district-wide - below Nebraska avg of $17,680
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 281 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
152
in-school suspensions + 184 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 39.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.

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.

Student demographics

White 38.9%
Hispanic or Latino 29.4%
African American 13.9%
Asian 8.8%
Two or More 8.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%

Largest group: White at 38.9% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 72.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 72.8, Park Middle School is more mixed than the Nebraska school average of 34.9.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lincoln Public Schools, which includes Park Middle School.

$12,831
Per student
-27%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.5%
State 30.0%
Federal 12.5%

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 Park Middle School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Southwest High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Lincoln High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Lincoln East High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
North Star High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Lincoln Southeast High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Park Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Lincoln Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Park Middle School's federal record.

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 Park Middle School

How many students attend Park Middle School?

Park Middle School has 843 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Lincoln, NE.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Park Middle School?

The student-teacher ratio at Park Middle School is 12.6:1, which is 7% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 20% 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 Park Middle School?

58.0% of students at Park Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Park Middle School?

The largest demographic group at Park Middle School is White at 38.9% of enrollment, in Lincoln, NE. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.8/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Park Middle School?

Park Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical 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).

How does Park Middle School rank among middle schools in Lincoln?

By Resource Investment Index, Park Middle School ranks #12 of 12 middle schools in Lincoln, NE. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Lincoln on the city page.

Is Park Middle School a good school?

Park Middle School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Nebraska median. It is also one of the largest schools in Nebraska. 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 Lincoln Public Schools?

Besides Park Middle School, Lincoln Public Schools also operates Southwest High School (2,110 students), Lincoln High School (2,086 students), and Lincoln East High School (1,982 students). See the Lincoln Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.