Enrollment
876
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Waterloo, IL
Waterloo High School
Federal NCES profile for Waterloo High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 174107004113
👥 S:T ratio 30
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waterloo High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Illinois schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Waterloo · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.5:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 876
- students enrolled
Waterloo High School has class sizes larger than 90% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waterloo High School ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Waterloo, IL.
School address
District: Waterloo Cusd 5 · Illinois
NCES ID 174107004113 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waterloo High School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waterloo High School
Waterloo High School is a large high school in Waterloo, Illinois, enrolling 876 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.5:1 is larger than about 90% of Illinois schools and 25% above the 14:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Illinois, bigger than 91% of state schools at 876 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 14/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 292 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Waterloo Cusd 5 spends $12,458 per pupil, 27% below the Illinois average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Waterloo Cusd 5 also operates Waterloo Junior High School (613 students) and W J Zahnow Elem School (487 students) alongside Waterloo 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 Waterloo High School compares
Waterloo High School on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.5:1 | ▲ 25% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 876 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
876
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 25% above state mean
Top 90% in Illinois - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.7%
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
$12,458
per pupil, district-wide
- below Illinois avg of $17,042
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 292 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
65
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 876 Top 9% in Illinois - larger than 91% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 51.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible -
NCES ID 174107004113
Student demographics
White 92.8%
Two or More 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
African American 0.2%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 92.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.7, Waterloo High School is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 292:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.7%
In-school suspensions 65
Out-of-school suspensions 25
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waterloo Cusd 5, which includes Waterloo High School.
$12,458
Per student
-27%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 61.7%
State 30.8%
Federal 7.5%
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 Waterloo High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo Junior High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| W J Zahnow Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Rogers Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Gardner Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waterloo High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 613
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 487
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 417
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 374
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waterloo High School's federal record.
- Compare Waterloo High School against another school. Compare schools
- Waterloo Cusd 5'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 Waterloo High School
How many students attend Waterloo High School?
Waterloo High School has 876 students enrolled. It is a high school in Waterloo, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waterloo High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Waterloo High School is 17.5:1, which is 25% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waterloo High School?
The largest demographic group at Waterloo High School is White at 92.8% of enrollment, in Waterloo, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waterloo High School?
Waterloo High School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Waterloo High School rank among public schools in Waterloo?
By Resource Investment Index, Waterloo High School ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Waterloo, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Waterloo on the city page.
Is Waterloo High School a good school?
Waterloo High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Illinois schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois 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 Waterloo Cusd 5?
Besides Waterloo High School, Waterloo Cusd 5 also operates Waterloo Junior High School (613 students), W J Zahnow Elem School (487 students), and Rogers Elem School (417 students). See the Waterloo Cusd 5 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.