Enrollment
1,024
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 317590001542
Ralston High School — Ralston, NE
Federal NCES profile for Ralston High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 34
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 0
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: Ralston Public Schools · Nebraska
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)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Nebraska avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.9%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ralston High School compares with Nebraska 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
Ralston High School reports 1,024 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 62.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% above the Nebraska state mean of 13.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 41.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% above the Nebraska average and 19% below the national baseline. The school offers 12 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 341 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ralston Public Schools spends $13,673 per pupil district-wide, below the Nebraska average of $20,313 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 61.3% from local sources (property taxes), 28.8% from the state, and 9.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Ralston High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Nebraska state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▲ 21% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.9% | ▲ 36% | 30.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,024 | top 96% | — | — |
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
41.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% above the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 21% above state mean
Top 86% in Nebraska — lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.6%
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
$13,673
per pupil, district-wide
— below Nebraska avg of $20,313
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 341 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
376
in-school suspensions + 109 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 36.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 47.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 1,024 Top 96% in Nebraska — larger than 4% of 1,010 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 62.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 41.9% +36% vs state
NCES ID 317590001542
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 44.6%
White 42.2%
African American 5.9%
Two or More 5.0%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 341:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 48.6%
In-school suspensions 376
Out-of-school suspensions 109
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ralston Public Schools, which includes Ralston High School.
$13,673
Per student
-33%
vs Nebraska
Avg $20,313
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 61.3%
State 28.8%
Federal 9.9%
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
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 473
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 373
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 330
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 303
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
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 Ralston High School
How many students attend Ralston High School?
Ralston High School has 1,024 students enrolled. It is a high school in RALSTON, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ralston High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ralston High School is 16.5:1, which is 21% higher than the Nebraska average of 13.6:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ralston High School?
41.9% of students at Ralston High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ralston High School?
The largest demographic group at Ralston High School is Hispanic or Latino at 44.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in RALSTON, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ralston High School?
Ralston High School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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.