Enrollment
118
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 551572001943
Waterloo Middle — Waterloo, WI
Federal NCES profile for Waterloo Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 1
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)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.6%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waterloo Middle 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 Middle reports 118 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 8.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 27.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% below the Wisconsin average and 47% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 358 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 39.8% 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 25/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Middle 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 | 14.5:1 | ▼ 4% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.6% | ▼ 28% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 118 | top 17% | — | — |
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
27.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 28% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 66% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
39.8%
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 358 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 118 Top 17% in Wisconsin — larger than 83% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 8.0
Students per teacher 14.5:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 27.6% -28% vs state
NCES ID 551572001943
Student demographics
White 67.8%
Hispanic or Latino 27.1%
Two or More 3.4%
African American 1.7%
Largest group: White at 67.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 358:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 39.8%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waterloo School District, which includes Waterloo Middle.
$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
- 232
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- 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 Middle
How many students attend Waterloo Middle?
Waterloo Middle has 118 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Waterloo, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waterloo Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Waterloo Middle is 14.5:1, which is 4% lower than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 9% 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 Middle?
27.6% of students at Waterloo Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waterloo Middle?
The largest demographic group at Waterloo Middle is White at 67.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waterloo, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waterloo Middle?
Waterloo Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.