Enrollment
488
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 317590001540
Ralston Middle School — Ralston, NE
Federal NCES profile for Ralston Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 13
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)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 13.6:1 Nebraska avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.2%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
+62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ralston Middle 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 Middle School reports 488 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% below the Nebraska state mean of 13.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 62% above the Nebraska average and 3% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 488 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.6% 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 34/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Middle 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 10% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.2% | ▲ 62% | 30.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 488 | top 84% | — | — |
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
50.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 62% 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
12.2:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 40% in Nebraska — lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
34.6%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 488 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
101
in-school suspensions + 82 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 20.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 37.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 488 Top 84% in Nebraska — larger than 16% of 1,010 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 12.2:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.2% +62% vs state
NCES ID 317590001540
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 45.3%
White 39.1%
Two or More 8.0%
African American 6.6%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 488:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.6%
In-school suspensions 101
Out-of-school suspensions 82
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ralston Public Schools, which includes Ralston Middle 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
- 1,024
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- 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 Middle School
How many students attend Ralston Middle School?
Ralston Middle School has 488 students enrolled. It is a middle school in RALSTON, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ralston Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ralston Middle School is 12.2:1, which is 10% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.6:1 and 23% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ralston Middle School?
50.2% of students at Ralston Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ralston Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Ralston Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 45.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in RALSTON, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ralston Middle School?
Ralston Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.