Enrollment
290
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 551419001844
Spencer Elementary — Spencer, WI
Federal NCES profile for Spencer Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 61
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 54
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: Spencer 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
-35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.7%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spencer Elementary 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
Spencer Elementary reports 290 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 35% 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 38% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 33% below the Wisconsin average and 50% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 580 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Spencer School District spends $22,672 per pupil district-wide, above the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.5% from local sources (property taxes), 49.9% from the state, and 20.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), 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 Spencer Elementary 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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 35% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.7% | ▼ 33% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 290 | top 48% | — | — |
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
25.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 33% 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
9.8:1
students per teacher
— 35% below state mean
Top 8% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
18.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$22,672
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 580 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 290 Top 48% in Wisconsin — larger than 52% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 9.8:1 -35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.7% -33% vs state
NCES ID 551419001844
Student demographics
White 89.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
African American 1.7%
Two or More 1.0%
Largest group: White at 89.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 580:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.3%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spencer School District, which includes Spencer Elementary.
$22,672
Per student
+22%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
+16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.5%
State 49.9%
Federal 20.6%
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
- 329
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
Similar other schools in Spencer
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Spencer Elementary
How many students attend Spencer Elementary?
Spencer Elementary has 290 students enrolled. It is a other school in Spencer, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spencer Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Spencer Elementary is 9.8:1, which is 35% lower than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 38% 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 Spencer Elementary?
25.7% of students at Spencer Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spencer Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Spencer Elementary is White at 89.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Spencer, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spencer Elementary?
Spencer Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) 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.