Enrollment
280
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Waseca, MN
Waseca Junior High
Federal NCES profile for Waseca Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 274188002683
👥 S:T ratio 7
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waseca Junior High earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Minnesota schools.
- #9 of 10
- public schools in Waseca · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.3:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 35.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Waseca Junior High has class sizes larger than 90% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waseca Junior High ranks #9 of 10 public schools in Waseca, MN.
School address
District: Waseca Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 274188002683 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.3:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waseca Junior High compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waseca Junior High
Waseca Junior High is a mid-sized middle school in Waseca, Minnesota, enrolling 280 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23.3:1 is larger than about 90% of Minnesota schools and 47% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 35.1% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 280 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 331 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #313, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 560 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Waseca Public School District also operates Waseca Senior High (555 students) and Hartley Elementary (429 students) alongside Waseca Junior 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 Waseca Junior High compares
Waseca Junior High on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.3:1 | ▲ 47% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.1% | ▼ 18% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 280 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.3:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
280
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23.3:1
students per teacher
- 47% above state mean
Top 90% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
21.4%
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
$14,498
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
37
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.6 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 74.6%
Hispanic or Latino 17.9%
Two or More 3.9%
African American 1.4%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 74.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.9, Waseca Junior High is about as mixed as the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waseca Public School District, which includes Waseca Junior High.
$14,498
Per student
-5%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.5%
State 64.6%
Federal 10.8%
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 Waseca Junior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waseca Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hartley Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Waseca Intermediate School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Waseca Area Learning Center | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Waseca Early Childhood | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waseca Junior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 555
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 429
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 380
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 65
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 38
- Students per teacher
- 38:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
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 (~280 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waseca Junior High's federal record.
- Compare Waseca Junior High against another school. Compare schools
- Waseca 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 Waseca Junior High
How many students attend Waseca Junior High?
Waseca Junior High has 280 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Waseca, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waseca Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Waseca Junior High is 23.3:1, which is 47% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 48% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waseca Junior High?
35.1% of students at Waseca Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waseca Junior High?
The largest demographic group at Waseca Junior High is White at 74.6% of enrollment, in Waseca, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waseca Junior High?
Waseca Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (lower 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 Waseca Junior High rank among public schools in Waseca?
By Resource Investment Index, Waseca Junior High ranks #9 of 10 public schools in Waseca, 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 Waseca on the city page.
Is Waseca Junior High a good school?
Waseca Junior High earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Minnesota 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 Waseca Public School District?
Besides Waseca Junior High, Waseca Public School District also operates Waseca Senior High (555 students), Hartley Elementary (429 students), and Waseca Intermediate School (380 students). See the Waseca 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.