Enrollment
888
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Louisville, KY
Waggener High
Federal NCES profile for Waggener High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 210299000649
👥 S:T ratio 34
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waggener High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Kentucky schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Kentucky schools.
- #11 of 18
- high schools in Louisville · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.4:1
- large classes for Kentucky
- 62.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Waggener High has class sizes larger than 70% of Kentucky schools. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waggener High ranks #11 of 18 high schools in Louisville, KY.
School address
District: Jefferson County · Kentucky
NCES ID 210299000649 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.8%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waggener High compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waggener High
Waggener High is a higher-need, large high school in Louisville, Kentucky, enrolling 888 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Kentucky schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 62.8% lands close to the Kentucky typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Kentucky, bigger than 92% of state schools at 888 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 255 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #178.
Its student body is led by African American (42%) and White (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 296 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Jefferson County spends $17,376 per pupil, 32% above the Kentucky average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 22.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 435 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 888 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 14 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Louisville's high schools, it stands alongside Ballard High (2,148 students): Waggener High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.4:1 vs 19.9:1).
Jefferson County also operates Ballard High (2,148 students) and Dupont Manual High (1,899 students) alongside Waggener High.
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 Waggener High compares
Waggener High on the metrics families compare, against Kentucky and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▲ 8% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.8% | ▲ 6% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 888 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
888
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% above the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 70% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
53.9%
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
$17,376
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kentucky avg of $13,211
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 296 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
293
in-school suspensions + 142 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 33.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 49.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 14 expulsions.
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
African American 41.8%
White 28.5%
Hispanic or Latino 21.8%
Two or More 4.3%
Asian 3.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 41.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.4, Waggener High is more mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson County, which includes Waggener High.
$17,376
Per student
+32%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.8%
State 30.9%
Federal 22.3%
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 Waggener High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballard High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dupont Manual High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Marion C. Moore School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Eastern High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pleasure Ridge Park High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waggener High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,148
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,899
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,892
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,790
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,777
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar high schools in Louisville
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Ballard High
Standard public school
2,148 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Dupont Manual High
Standard public school
1,899 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Pleasure Ridge Park High
Standard public school
1,777 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Louisville Male High
Standard public school
1,763 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Southern High
Standard public school
1,725 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
Fern Creek High
Standard public school
1,525 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Kentucky, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~888 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waggener High's federal record.
- Compare Waggener High against another school. Compare schools
- Jefferson County'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 Waggener High
How many students attend Waggener High?
Waggener High has 888 students enrolled. It is a high school in Louisville, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waggener High?
The student-teacher ratio at Waggener High is 16.4:1, which is 8% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waggener High?
62.8% of students at Waggener High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waggener High?
The largest demographic group at Waggener High is African American at 41.8% of enrollment, in Louisville, KY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waggener High?
Waggener High has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Waggener High rank among high schools in Louisville?
By Resource Investment Index, Waggener High ranks #11 of 18 high schools in Louisville, KY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Louisville on the city page.
Is Waggener High a good school?
Waggener High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Kentucky schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Kentucky schools. 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 Jefferson County?
Besides Waggener High, Jefferson County also operates Ballard High (2,148 students), Dupont Manual High (1,899 students), and Marion C. Moore School (1,892 students). See the Jefferson County 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.