Enrollment
110
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Fairfield, NE
Sandy Creek High School
Federal NCES profile for Sandy Creek High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 310012200762
👥 S:T ratio 68
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sandy Creek High School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Nebraska schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Fairfield · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 7.9:1
- small classes for Nebraska
- 33.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Sandy Creek High School has class sizes smaller than 90% of Nebraska schools. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sandy Creek High School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Fairfield, NE.
School address
District: South Central Nebraska Unified 5 · Nebraska
NCES ID 310012200762 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.9:1
vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg
-41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.6%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sandy Creek High School compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sandy Creek High School
Sandy Creek High School is a mid-sized high school in Fairfield, Nebraska, enrolling 110 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.9:1, Sandy Creek High School is leaner than roughly 90% of Nebraska schools and 41% under the state's 13.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 33.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 110 puts it in the smaller third of Nebraska schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,003 scored Nebraska schools.
Against 174 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #107.
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 220 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
South Central Nebraska Unified 5 also operates Sandy Creek Elementary School (209 students) and Sandy Creek Middle School (96 students) alongside Sandy Creek High 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 Sandy Creek High School compares
Sandy Creek High 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 | 7.9:1 | ▼ 41% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.6% | ▲ 9% | 30.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 110 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.9:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
110
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% above the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
7.9:1
students per teacher
- 41% below state mean
Top 10% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
28.2%
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
$19,203
per pupil, district-wide
- above Nebraska avg of $17,680
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Central Nebraska Unified 5, which includes Sandy Creek High School.
$19,203
Per student
+9%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
+16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.9%
State 14.6%
Federal 10.5%
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 Sandy Creek High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Creek Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sandy Creek Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clay Co Learning Center - Fairfield | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lawrence/Nelson High Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sandy Creek High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 209
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 96
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 87
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 63
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 63
- Students per teacher
- 7.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar high 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.
Similar enrollment (~110 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~7.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sandy Creek High School's federal record.
- Compare Sandy Creek High School against another school. Compare schools
- South Central Nebraska Unified 5'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 Sandy Creek High School
How many students attend Sandy Creek High School?
Sandy Creek High School has 110 students enrolled. It is a high school in Fairfield, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sandy Creek High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sandy Creek High School is 7.9:1, which is 41% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 50% 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 Sandy Creek High School?
33.6% of students at Sandy Creek High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sandy Creek High School?
Sandy Creek High School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sandy Creek High School rank among public schools in Fairfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Sandy Creek High School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Fairfield, NE. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Fairfield on the city page.
Is Sandy Creek High School a good school?
Sandy Creek High School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Nebraska 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 South Central Nebraska Unified 5?
Besides Sandy Creek High School, South Central Nebraska Unified 5 also operates Sandy Creek Elementary School (209 students), Sandy Creek Middle School (96 students), and Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch (87 students). See the South Central Nebraska Unified 5 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.