Middle school (grades 6-8) · Madison, WI

Sennett Middle

Federal NCES profile for Sennett Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 550852000955
0/100100/10041/100
👥 S:T ratio
52
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
43
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Sennett Middle earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Wisconsin schools.

#9 of 12
middle schools in Madison · Resource Index
41
Resource Index · Typical
12.1:1
students per teacher
52.0%
free-lunch eligible

Sennett Middle has class sizes near the Wisconsin median. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Sennett Middle ranks #9 of 12 middle schools in Madison, WI.

Enrollment

570

Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

47.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

12.1:1

vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg

-16% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

52.0%

vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg

+35% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Sennett Middle compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Sennett Middle

Sennett Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Madison, Wisconsin, enrolling 570 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Wisconsin schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 52.0% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 570 puts it in the larger third of Wisconsin schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.

Against 190 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #100.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (39%) and White (28%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 285 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Discipline events run high: 195 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 570 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

Among Madison's middle schools, it stands alongside Hamilton Middle (790 students): Sennett Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.1:1 vs 15.5:1).

Madison Metropolitan School District also operates West High (2,222 students) and Vel Phillips Memorial High (2,004 students) alongside Sennett Middle.

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 Sennett Middle compares

Sennett Middle on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Wisconsin Wisconsin avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 12.1:1 ▼ 16% 14.4:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 52.0% ▲ 35% 38.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 570 top 16% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
570
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
52.0%
free-lunch eligible - 35% 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
12.1:1
students per teacher - 16% below state mean
Top 34% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
52.1%
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
$17,181
per pupil, district-wide - above Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 285 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
75
in-school suspensions + 120 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.2 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

Hispanic or Latino 39.4%
White 28.3%
African American 13.7%
Two or More 12.7%
Asian 5.8%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 39.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 72.6/100

Simpson diversity index - at 72.6, Sennett Middle is more mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison Metropolitan School District, which includes Sennett Middle.

$17,181
Per student
+15%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 72.6%
State 18.4%
Federal 9.0%

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 Sennett Middle Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
West High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Vel Phillips Memorial High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
East High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Lafollette High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Hamilton Middle Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Sennett Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Madison Metropolitan School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools in Madison

6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.

Similar middle 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Sennett Middle's federal record.

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 Sennett Middle

How many students attend Sennett Middle?

Sennett Middle has 570 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Madison, WI.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Sennett Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Sennett Middle is 12.1:1, which is 16% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 23% 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 Sennett Middle?

52.0% of students at Sennett Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sennett Middle?

The largest demographic group at Sennett Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 39.4% of enrollment, in Madison, WI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.6/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Sennett Middle?

Sennett Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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 Sennett Middle rank among middle schools in Madison?

By Resource Investment Index, Sennett Middle ranks #9 of 12 middle schools in Madison, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Madison on the city page.

Is Sennett Middle a good school?

Sennett Middle earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Madison Metropolitan School District?

Besides Sennett Middle, Madison Metropolitan School District also operates West High (2,222 students), Vel Phillips Memorial High (2,004 students), and East High (1,643 students). See the Madison Metropolitan School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.