Enrollment
885
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Waconia, MN
Waconia Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Waconia Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 274146003066
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waconia Middle School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #3 of 8
- public schools in Waconia · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 8.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Waconia Middle School has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waconia Middle School ranks #3 of 8 public schools in Waconia, MN.
School address
District: Waconia Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 274146003066 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
8.8%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-79% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waconia Middle School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waconia Middle School
Waconia Middle School is a lower-poverty, large middle school in Waconia, Minnesota, enrolling 885 students.
At 14.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Minnesota median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 8.8% free-meal eligibility runs 79% below the Minnesota average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 93% of state schools at 885 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 188 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #90.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 466 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Waconia Public School District also operates Waconia High School (1,335 students) and Southview Elementary (544 students) alongside Waconia Middle 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 Middle School compares
Waconia Middle 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 9% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 8.8% | ▼ 79% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 885 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
885
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
8.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 79% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 49% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.5%
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
$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
Counselors1.9 FTE
Per 466 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 86.2%
Hispanic or Latino 5.3%
Two or More 4.9%
African American 2.4%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 86.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.1, Waconia Middle School is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waconia Public School District, which includes Waconia Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waconia High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southview Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bayview Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Laketown Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Early Childhood Special Education | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waconia Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,335
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- 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 middle 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 (~885 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waconia Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Waconia Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Waconia Middle School?
Waconia Middle School has 885 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Waconia, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waconia Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Waconia Middle School is 14.3:1, which is 9% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 9% 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 Waconia Middle School?
8.8% of students at Waconia Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waconia Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Waconia Middle School is White at 86.2% of enrollment, in Waconia, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waconia Middle School?
Waconia Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Waconia Middle School rank among public schools in Waconia?
By Resource Investment Index, Waconia Middle School ranks #3 of 8 public 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 public schools in Waconia on the city page.
Is Waconia Middle School a good school?
Waconia Middle School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Middle School, Waconia Public School District also operates Waconia High School (1,335 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.