Enrollment
232
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 551572001995
Waterloo High — Waterloo, WI
Federal NCES profile for Waterloo High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 43
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Waterloo School District · Wisconsin
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.2%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waterloo High compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Waterloo High reports 232 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% below the Wisconsin state mean of 15.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% below the Wisconsin average and 38% below the national baseline. The school offers 28 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 232 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 54.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Waterloo School District spends $15,956 per pupil district-wide, below the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.4% from local sources (property taxes), 49.1% from the state, and 10.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Waterloo High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Wisconsin state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▼ 6% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.2% | ▼ 16% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 232 | top 36% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
32.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% below the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher
— 6% below state mean
Top 61% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
54.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,956
per pupil, district-wide
— below Wisconsin avg of $18,610
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 232 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
21
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 232 Top 36% in Wisconsin — larger than 64% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 14.2:1 -6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.2% -16% vs state
NCES ID 551572001995
Student demographics
White 67.2%
Hispanic or Latino 28.4%
African American 1.7%
Two or More 1.7%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 67.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 28
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 232:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 54.7%
In-school suspensions 21
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waterloo School District, which includes Waterloo High.
$15,956
Per student
-14%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.4%
State 49.1%
Federal 10.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 281
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 118
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 114
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Waterloo High
How many students attend Waterloo High?
Waterloo High has 232 students enrolled. It is a high school in Waterloo, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waterloo High?
The student-teacher ratio at Waterloo High is 14.2:1, which is 6% lower than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waterloo High?
32.2% of students at Waterloo High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waterloo High?
The largest demographic group at Waterloo High is White at 67.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waterloo, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waterloo High?
Waterloo High has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.