Enrollment
1,927
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 180363000556
R Nelson Snider High School — Fort Wayne, IN
Federal NCES profile for R Nelson Snider High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 15
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 55
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: Fort Wayne Community Schools · Indiana
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
21.3:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.4%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How R Nelson Snider High School compares with Indiana 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
R Nelson Snider High School reports 1,927 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 89.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 32% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 34% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 47.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 4% below the Indiana average and 8% below the national baseline. The school offers 14 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 321 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fort Wayne Community Schools spends $15,804 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.4% from local sources (property taxes), 56.6% from the state, and 21.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 R Nelson Snider High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.3:1 | ▲ 32% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.4% | ▼ 4% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,927 | top 98% | — | — |
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
47.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 4% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.3:1
students per teacher
— 32% above state mean
Top 96% in Indiana — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
18.0%
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
$15,804
per pupil, district-wide
— above Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 321 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,927 Top 98% in Indiana — larger than 2% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 89.0
Students per teacher 21.3:1 +32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 47.4% -4% vs state
NCES ID 180363000556
Student demographics
White 42.0%
African American 24.1%
Hispanic or Latino 17.2%
Two or More 9.9%
Asian 6.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 42.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 14
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 321:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.0%
In-school suspensions 14
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Wayne Community Schools, which includes R Nelson Snider High School.
$15,804
Per student
+9%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.4%
State 56.6%
Federal 21.1%
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
- 2,145
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,405
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,398
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,383
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 814
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
Similar high schools in Fort Wayne
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Carroll High School
Standard public school
2,623 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Homestead High School
Standard public school
2,382 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Northrop High School
Standard public school
2,145 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
South Side High School
Standard public school
1,405 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Wayne High School
Standard public school
1,398 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
North Side High School
Standard public school
1,383 students 17.1:1 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 R Nelson Snider High School
How many students attend R Nelson Snider High School?
R Nelson Snider High School has 1,927 students enrolled. It is a high school in Fort Wayne, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at R Nelson Snider High School?
The student-teacher ratio at R Nelson Snider High School is 21.3:1, which is 32% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 34% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at R Nelson Snider High School?
47.4% of students at R Nelson Snider High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of R Nelson Snider High School?
The largest demographic group at R Nelson Snider High School is White at 42.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fort Wayne, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for R Nelson Snider High School?
R Nelson Snider High School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.