Enrollment
385
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 550075000097
Unity Elementary — Balsam Lake, WI
Federal NCES profile for Unity Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 65
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: Unity 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.5%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Unity 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
Unity Elementary reports 385 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 48.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 26% above the Wisconsin average and 6% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Unity School District spends $21,778 per pupil district-wide, above the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 69.8% from local sources (property taxes), 18.6% from the state, and 11.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Unity 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 15% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.5% | ▲ 26% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 385 | top 65% | — | — |
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
48.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 26% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 38% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.0%
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
$21,778
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 385 Top 65% in Wisconsin — larger than 35% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 12.8:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 48.5% +26% vs state
NCES ID 550075000097
Student demographics
White 84.2%
Two or More 7.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
Largest group: White at 84.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.0%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Unity School District, which includes Unity Elementary.
$21,778
Per student
+17%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 69.8%
State 18.6%
Federal 11.6%
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
- 292
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 238
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
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 Unity Elementary
How many students attend Unity Elementary?
Unity Elementary has 385 students enrolled. It is a other school in Balsam Lake, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Unity Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Unity Elementary is 12.8:1, which is 15% lower than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 19% 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 Unity Elementary?
48.5% of students at Unity Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Unity Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Unity Elementary is White at 84.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Balsam Lake, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Unity Elementary?
Unity Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.