Enrollment
290
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Spencer, WI
Spencer Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Spencer Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 551419001844
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 54
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Spencer Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Wisconsin schools.
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.6:1
- small classes for Wisconsin
- 25.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 290
- students enrolled
Spencer Elementary has class sizes smaller than 72% of Wisconsin schools. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Spencer School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 551419001844 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
-19% 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
What stands out at Spencer Elementary
Spencer Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Spencer, Wisconsin, enrolling 290 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Wisconsin schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 25.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 290 students, its enrollment sits close to the Wisconsin median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Among 483 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Wisconsin schools statewide, it ranks #424, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 580 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 20.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Spencer's public schools, it stands alongside Spencer Junior High/High (329 students): Spencer Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.6:1 vs 13.2:1).
Its district, Spencer School District, also runs Spencer Junior High/High (329 students).
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 Spencer Elementary compares
Spencer Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.6:1 | ▼ 19% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.7% | ▼ 33% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 290 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
290
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 28% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
18.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,246
per pupil, district-wide
- below Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
- 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 89.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
African American 1.7%
Two or More 1.0%
Largest group: White at 89.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.9, Spencer Elementary is less mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spencer School District, which includes Spencer Elementary.
$12,246
Per student
-18%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Spencer Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Junior High/High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Spencer Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 329
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar other schools in Spencer
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~290 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Spencer Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Spencer Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Spencer 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 Spencer Elementary
How many students attend Spencer Elementary?
Spencer Elementary has 290 students enrolled. It is a public school in Spencer, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spencer Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Spencer Elementary is 11.6:1, which is 19% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 26% 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 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% of enrollment, in Spencer, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spencer Elementary?
Spencer Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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).
Is Spencer Elementary a good school?
Spencer Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of 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 Spencer School District?
Besides Spencer Elementary, Spencer School District also operates Spencer Junior High/High (329 students). See the Spencer 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.