Enrollment
400
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 550852002435
Sherman Middle — Madison, WI
Federal NCES profile for Sherman Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 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: Madison Metropolitan School District · Wisconsin
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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.6%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sherman Middle compares with Wisconsin 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
Sherman Middle reports 400 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% below the Wisconsin state mean of 15.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 26% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% above the Wisconsin average and 2% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 267 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 49.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Madison Metropolitan School District spends $20,303 per pupil district-wide, above the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 72.6% from local sources (property taxes), 18.4% from the state, and 9.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), 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 Sherman Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Wisconsin state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.8:1 | ▼ 22% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.6% | ▲ 31% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 400 | top 67% | — | — |
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
50.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 31% 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
11.8:1
students per teacher
— 22% below state mean
Top 25% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
49.3%
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
$20,303
per pupil, district-wide
— above Wisconsin avg of $18,610
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 267 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
38
in-school suspensions + 85 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 30.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 400 Top 67% in Wisconsin — larger than 33% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 11.8:1 -22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.6% +31% vs state
NCES ID 550852002435
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 30.6%
White 28.8%
African American 24.1%
Two or More 10.0%
Asian 6.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 30.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.5
Students per counselor 267:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 49.3%
In-school suspensions 38
Out-of-school suspensions 85
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison Metropolitan School District, which includes Sherman Middle.
$20,303
Per student
+9%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,222
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,004
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,643
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,541
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
Similar middle schools in Madison
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Hamilton Middle
Standard public school
790 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Sennett Middle
Standard public school
570 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Cherokee Heights Middle
Standard public school
526 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Toki Middle
Standard public school
487 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Jefferson Middle
Standard public school
462 students 11.5:1 students per teacher
O'Keeffe Middle
Standard public school
434 students 11.9:1 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 Sherman Middle
How many students attend Sherman Middle?
Sherman Middle has 400 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Madison, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sherman Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Sherman Middle is 11.8:1, which is 22% lower than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 26% 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 Sherman Middle?
50.6% of students at Sherman Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sherman Middle?
The largest demographic group at Sherman Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 30.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Madison, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sherman Middle?
Sherman Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) 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.