Enrollment
2,004
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 550852000937
Vel Phillips Memorial High — Madison, WI
Federal NCES profile for Vel Phillips Memorial High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 34
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 0
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: Madison Metropolitan 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)
123.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.8%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vel Phillips Memorial High 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
Vel Phillips Memorial High reports 2,004 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 123.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% above the Wisconsin state mean of 15.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 10% below the Wisconsin average and 33% below the national baseline. The school offers 21 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 304 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 46.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Madison Metropolitan School District spends $20,303 per pupil district-wide, above the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 72.6% from local sources (property taxes), 18.4% from the state, and 9.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Vel Phillips Memorial High 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 9% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.8% | ▼ 10% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,004 | top 100% | — | — |
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
34.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 10% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 84% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
46.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$20,303
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
Counselors6.6 FTE
Per 304 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
84
in-school suspensions + 137 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 2,004 Top 100% in Wisconsin — larger than 0% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 123.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.8% -10% vs state
NCES ID 550852000937
Student demographics
White 40.7%
Hispanic or Latino 26.5%
African American 15.4%
Two or More 8.8%
Asian 8.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 40.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 21
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.6
Students per counselor 304:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 46.0%
In-school suspensions 84
Out-of-school suspensions 137
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison Metropolitan School District, which includes Vel Phillips Memorial High.
$20,303
Per student
+9%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 72.6%
State 18.4%
Federal 9.0%
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
- 2,222
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,643
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,541
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 631
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
Similar high schools in Madison
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
West High
Standard public school
2,222 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
East High
Standard public school
1,643 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Lafollette High
Standard public school
1,541 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Innovative High
Alternative education program
138 students 7.8:1 students per teacher
Capital High
Alternative education program
129 students 7.7:1 students per teacher
Shabazz-City High
Alternative education program
106 students 9.3:1 students per teacher
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 Vel Phillips Memorial High
How many students attend Vel Phillips Memorial High?
Vel Phillips Memorial High has 2,004 students enrolled. It is a high school in Madison, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vel Phillips Memorial High?
The student-teacher ratio at Vel Phillips Memorial High is 16.5:1, which is 9% higher than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vel Phillips Memorial High?
34.8% of students at Vel Phillips Memorial High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vel Phillips Memorial High?
The largest demographic group at Vel Phillips Memorial High is White at 40.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Madison, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vel Phillips Memorial High?
Vel Phillips Memorial High has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.