Enrollment
555
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Waseca, MN
Waseca Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Waseca Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 274188001749
👥 S:T ratio 33
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waseca Senior High earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #5 of 10
- public schools in Waseca · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.8:1
- students per teacher
- 27.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Waseca Senior High has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waseca Senior High ranks #5 of 10 public schools in Waseca, MN.
School address
District: Waseca Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 274188001749 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waseca Senior High compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waseca Senior High
Waseca Senior High is a mid-sized high school in Waseca, Minnesota, enrolling 555 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 555 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 489 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #300.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 39/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 278 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Waseca Public School District also operates Hartley Elementary (429 students) and Waseca Intermediate School (380 students) alongside Waseca Senior 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 Senior High compares
Waseca Senior 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 6% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.7% | ▼ 35% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 555 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
555
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 68% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
27.0%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 278 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
49
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.5 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 76.4%
Hispanic or Latino 13.5%
Two or More 6.7%
African American 2.0%
Asian 1.4%
Largest group: White at 76.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.3, Waseca Senior High is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waseca Public School District, which includes Waseca Senior 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 Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartley Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Waseca Intermediate School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Waseca Junior High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher 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 Senior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- 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
- 280
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 65
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 38
- Students per teacher
- 38:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
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 (~555 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waseca Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Waseca Senior 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 Senior High
How many students attend Waseca Senior High?
Waseca Senior High has 555 students enrolled. It is a high school in Waseca, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waseca Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Waseca Senior High is 16.8:1, which is 6% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waseca Senior High?
27.7% of students at Waseca Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waseca Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Waseca Senior High is White at 76.4% of enrollment, in Waseca, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waseca Senior High?
Waseca Senior High 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 Waseca Senior High rank among public schools in Waseca?
By Resource Investment Index, Waseca Senior High ranks #5 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 Senior High a good school?
Waseca Senior High earns 34/100 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 Waseca Public School District?
Besides Waseca Senior High, Waseca Public School District also operates Hartley Elementary (429 students), Waseca Intermediate School (380 students), and Waseca Junior High (280 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.