Enrollment
263
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Rhinelander, WI
Pelican Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Pelican Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 551272001680
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pelican Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Wisconsin schools.
- #2 of 4
- schools in Rhinelander · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.4:1
- small classes for Wisconsin
- 46.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Pelican Elementary has class sizes smaller than 75% of Wisconsin schools. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pelican Elementary ranks #2 of 4 schools in Rhinelander, WI.
School address
District: Rhinelander School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 551272001680 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.8%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pelican Elementary compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pelican Elementary
Pelican Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, enrolling 263 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Wisconsin schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 46.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 263 students, its enrollment sits close to the Wisconsin median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Against 332 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #114.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 263 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
13.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 16.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Rhinelander's public schools, it stands alongside Crescent Elementary (384 students): Pelican Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.4:1 vs 11.6:1).
Rhinelander School District also operates Rhinelander High (757 students) and James Williams Middle (454 students) alongside Pelican Elementary.
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 Pelican Elementary compares
Pelican Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.4:1 | ▼ 21% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.8% | ▲ 22% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 263 | top 58% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
263
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% above the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 25% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$15,275
per pupil, district-wide
- above Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 263 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.5 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.
Student demographics
White 91.3%
Two or More 4.2%
Hispanic or Latino 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 91.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.4, Pelican Elementary is less mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rhinelander School District, which includes Pelican Elementary.
$15,275
Per student
+2%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 61.3%
State 22.1%
Federal 16.5%
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 Pelican Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhinelander High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James Williams Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Crescent Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northwoods Community Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pelican Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 757
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 454
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 384
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 269
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 97
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar other schools in Rhinelander
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Wisconsin, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~263 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pelican Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Pelican Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Rhinelander School District'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 Pelican Elementary
How many students attend Pelican Elementary?
Pelican Elementary has 263 students enrolled. It is a public school in Rhinelander, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pelican Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pelican Elementary is 11.4:1, which is 21% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 27% 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 Pelican Elementary?
46.8% of students at Pelican Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pelican Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pelican Elementary is White at 91.3% of enrollment, in Rhinelander, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pelican Elementary?
Pelican Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Pelican Elementary rank among schools in Rhinelander?
By Resource Investment Index, Pelican Elementary ranks #2 of 4 schools in Rhinelander, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Rhinelander on the city page.
Is Pelican Elementary a good school?
Pelican Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Wisconsin 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 Rhinelander School District?
Besides Pelican Elementary, Rhinelander School District also operates Rhinelander High (757 students), James Williams Middle (454 students), and Crescent Elementary (384 students). See the Rhinelander School District 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.