Enrollment
445
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Rice Lake, WI
Tainter Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Tainter Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 551281000581
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tainter Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Wisconsin schools.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Rice Lake · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.1:1
- small classes for Wisconsin
- 42.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Tainter Elementary has class sizes smaller than 88% of Wisconsin schools. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Tainter Elementary ranks #1 of 3 schools in Rice Lake, WI.
School address
District: Rice Lake Area School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 551281000581 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.1:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.8%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tainter Elementary compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tainter Elementary
Tainter Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, enrolling 445 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.1:1, Tainter Elementary is leaner than roughly 88% of Wisconsin schools and 30% under the state's 14.4:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 42.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 445 puts it in the larger third of Wisconsin schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Among 408 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Wisconsin schools statewide, it ranks #313, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Rice Lake's public schools, it stands alongside Hilltop Day Care and Preschool (21 students): Tainter Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.1:1 vs 21:1).
Rice Lake Area School District also operates Rice Lake High (674 students) and Rice Lake Middle (622 students) alongside Tainter Elementary.
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 Tainter Elementary compares
Tainter 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 | 10.1:1 | ▼ 30% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.8% | ▲ 11% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 445 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.1:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
445
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
10.1:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 12% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,892
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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 86.3%
Two or More 7.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.3%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 86.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.7, Tainter Elementary is less mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rice Lake Area School District, which includes Tainter Elementary.
$13,892
Per student
-7%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.1%
State 39.7%
Federal 10.2%
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 Tainter Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice Lake High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rice Lake Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hilltop Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Haugen Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hilltop Day Care and Preschool | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tainter Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 674
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 622
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 251
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 83
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 21
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
Similar other schools in Rice Lake
2 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 (~445 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tainter Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Tainter Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Rice Lake 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 Tainter Elementary
How many students attend Tainter Elementary?
Tainter Elementary has 445 students enrolled. It is a public school in Rice Lake, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tainter Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Tainter Elementary is 10.1:1, which is 30% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 36% 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 Tainter Elementary?
42.8% of students at Tainter Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tainter Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Tainter Elementary is White at 86.3% of enrollment, in Rice Lake, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tainter Elementary?
Tainter Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Tainter Elementary rank among schools in Rice Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Tainter Elementary ranks #1 of 3 schools in Rice Lake, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Rice Lake on the city page.
Is Tainter Elementary a good school?
Tainter Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% 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 Rice Lake Area School District?
Besides Tainter Elementary, Rice Lake Area School District also operates Rice Lake High (674 students), Rice Lake Middle (622 students), and Hilltop Elementary (251 students). See the Rice Lake 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.