Enrollment
871
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Sparta, WI
Sparta High
Federal NCES profile for Sparta High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 551416001843
👥 S:T ratio 41
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sparta High earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median.
- #4 of 8
- public schools in Sparta · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.8:1
- students per teacher
- 36.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Sparta High has class sizes near the Wisconsin median. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sparta High ranks #4 of 8 public schools in Sparta, WI.
School address
District: Sparta Area School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 551416001843 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.9%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sparta High compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sparta High
Sparta High is a large high school in Sparta, Wisconsin, enrolling 871 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Wisconsin schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 36.9% lands close to the Wisconsin typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Wisconsin, bigger than 93% of state schools at 871 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Against 162 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #42.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 42/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 277 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Sparta's high schools, it stands alongside Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School (56 students): Sparta High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.8:1 vs 28:1).
Sparta Area School District also operates Sparta Meadowview Middle (687 students) and Herrman Elementary (616 students) alongside Sparta High.
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 Sparta High compares
Sparta High on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▲ 3% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.9% | ▼ 4% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 871 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
871
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% below the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 69% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
9.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$14,626
per pupil, district-wide
- below Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.2 FTE
Per 277 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 69 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.8 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
White 73.9%
Hispanic or Latino 19.3%
Two or More 3.7%
African American 2.0%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 73.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.5, Sparta High is more mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sparta Area School District, which includes Sparta High.
$14,626
Per student
-2%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Sparta High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta Meadowview Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Herrman Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southside Early Learning Center | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sparta Montessori School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Innovations Stem Academy | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sparta High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 687
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 616
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 268
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 161
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 90
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar high schools in Sparta
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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.
Similar enrollment (~871 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sparta High's federal record.
- Compare Sparta High against another school. Compare schools
- Sparta Area School District'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 Sparta High
How many students attend Sparta High?
Sparta High has 871 students enrolled. It is a high school in Sparta, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sparta High?
The student-teacher ratio at Sparta High is 14.8:1, which is 3% higher than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sparta High?
36.9% of students at Sparta High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sparta High?
The largest demographic group at Sparta High is White at 73.9% of enrollment, in Sparta, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sparta High?
Sparta High has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sparta High rank among public schools in Sparta?
By Resource Investment Index, Sparta High ranks #4 of 8 public schools in Sparta, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Sparta on the city page.
Is Sparta High a good school?
Sparta High earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median. 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 Sparta Area School District?
Besides Sparta High, Sparta Area School District also operates Sparta Meadowview Middle (687 students), Herrman Elementary (616 students), and Southside Early Learning Center (268 students). See the Sparta Area School District 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.