Enrollment
1,012
North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 380001400061
Wachter Middle School — Bismarck, ND
Federal NCES profile for Wachter Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 34
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: Bismarck 1 · North Dakota
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)
70.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 11.7:1 North Dakota avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.6%
vs 28.2% North Dakota avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wachter Middle School compares with North Dakota 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
Wachter Middle School reports 1,012 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 70.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% above the North Dakota state mean of 11.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 10% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 23.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% below the North Dakota average and 54% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 337 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bismarck 1 spends $17,656 per pupil district-wide, below the North Dakota average of $22,219 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.0% from local sources (property taxes), 55.3% from the state, and 16.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Wachter Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North Dakota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs North Dakota | North Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.3:1 | ▲ 22% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.6% | ▼ 16% | 28.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,012 | top 97% | — | — |
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
23.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% below the North Dakota average of 28.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
— 22% above state mean
Top 79% in North Dakota — lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
26.4%
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
$17,656
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Dakota avg of $22,219
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 337 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
88
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 1,012 Top 97% in North Dakota — larger than 3% of 499 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 70.0
Students per teacher 14.3:1 +22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 23.6% -16% vs state
NCES ID 380001400061
Student demographics
White 67.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 11.6%
Two or More 8.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.7%
African American 2.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.2%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 67.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 337:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.4%
In-school suspensions 88
Out-of-school suspensions 20
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bismarck 1, which includes Wachter Middle School.
$17,656
Per student
-21%
vs North Dakota
Avg $22,219
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.0%
State 55.3%
Federal 16.7%
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
- 1,419
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,406
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,367
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,124
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,053
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
Similar middle schools in Bismarck
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Wachter Middle School
How many students attend Wachter Middle School?
Wachter Middle School has 1,012 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Bismarck, ND.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wachter Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Wachter Middle School is 14.3:1, which is 22% higher than the North Dakota average of 11.7:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wachter Middle School?
23.6% of students at Wachter Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wachter Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Wachter Middle School is White at 67.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bismarck, ND.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wachter Middle School?
Wachter Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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.