Enrollment
1,335
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Waconia, MN
Waconia High School
Federal NCES profile for Waconia High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 274146000358
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waconia High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in Waconia · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.1:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 8.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Waconia High School has class sizes larger than 80% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waconia High School ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Waconia, MN.
School address
District: Waconia Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 274146000358 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
70.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
8.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-80% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waconia High School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waconia High School
Waconia High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Waconia, Minnesota, enrolling 1,335 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 8.6% free-meal eligibility runs 80% below the Minnesota average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,335 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 80 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #58, 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).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 494 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Waconia Public School District also operates Waconia Middle School (885 students) and Southview Elementary (544 students) alongside Waconia High School.
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 Waconia High School compares
Waconia High School on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.1:1 | ▲ 21% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 8.6% | ▼ 80% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,335 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.1:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,335
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
8.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 80% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.1:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 80% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,956
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.7 FTE
Per 494 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 89.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Two or More 2.9%
Asian 1.6%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 89.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.4, Waconia High School is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waconia Public School District, which includes Waconia High School.
$12,956
Per student
-15%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.1%
State 58.3%
Federal 8.7%
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.
How Waconia High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waconia Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southview Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bayview Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Laketown Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Early Childhood Special Education | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waconia High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 885
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 544
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 530
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 530
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 67
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,335 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waconia High School's federal record.
- Compare Waconia High School against another school. Compare schools
- Waconia Public 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 Waconia High School
How many students attend Waconia High School?
Waconia High School has 1,335 students enrolled. It is a high school in Waconia, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waconia High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Waconia High School is 19.1:1, which is 21% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 22% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waconia High School?
8.6% of students at Waconia High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waconia High School?
The largest demographic group at Waconia High School is White at 89.6% of enrollment, in Waconia, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waconia High School?
Waconia High School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Waconia High School rank among high schools in Waconia?
By Resource Investment Index, Waconia High School ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Waconia, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Waconia on the city page.
Is Waconia High School a good school?
Waconia High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota. 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 Waconia Public School District?
Besides Waconia High School, Waconia Public School District also operates Waconia Middle School (885 students), Southview Elementary (544 students), and Bayview Elementary (530 students). See the Waconia Public 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.