Enrollment
56
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 551416002486 Charter school
Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School — Sparta, WI
Federal NCES profile for Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 6
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 69
📋 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: Sparta Area 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)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.5:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
+56% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.2%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
+82% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School 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
Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School reports 56 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 56% above the Wisconsin state mean of 15.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 48% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 70.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 82% above the Wisconsin average and 36% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 156 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 46.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sparta Area School District spends $16,874 per pupil district-wide, below the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.6% from local sources (property taxes), 59.0% from the state, and 13.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (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 Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School 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 | 23.5:1 | ▲ 56% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.2% | ▲ 82% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 56 | top 7% | — | — |
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
70.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 82% 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
23.5:1
students per teacher
— 56% above state mean
Top 96% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
46.4%
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
$16,874
per pupil, district-wide
— below Wisconsin avg of $18,610
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.4 FTE
Per 156 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 56 Top 7% in Wisconsin — larger than 93% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 2.0
Students per teacher 23.5:1 +56% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 70.2% +82% vs state
NCES ID 551416002486
Student demographics
White 73.2%
Hispanic or Latino 19.6%
Two or More 3.6%
African American 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.8%
Largest group: White at 73.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 0.4
Students per counselor 156:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 46.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sparta Area School District, which includes Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School.
$16,874
Per student
-9%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.6%
State 59.0%
Federal 13.4%
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
- 871
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 687
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Enrollment
- 616
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Enrollment
- 268
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Enrollment
- 161
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
Similar high schools in Sparta
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School
How many students attend Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School?
Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School has 56 students enrolled. It is a high school in Sparta, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School is 23.5:1, which is 56% higher than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 48% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School?
70.2% of students at Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School?
The largest demographic group at Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School is White at 73.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sparta, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School?
Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F) based on 5 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.