Enrollment
389
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fond Du Lac, WI
Waters Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Waters Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 550468000506
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waters Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median.
- #8 of 12
- schools in Fond Du Lac · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 34.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Waters Elementary has class sizes near the Wisconsin median. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waters Elementary ranks #8 of 12 schools in Fond Du Lac, WI.
School address
District: Fond Du Lac School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 550468000506 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.7%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waters Elementary compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waters Elementary
Waters Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, enrolling 389 students.
At 13.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Wisconsin median, within a few percentage points of the 14.4:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 34.7% lands close to the Wisconsin typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 389 puts it in the larger third of Wisconsin schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Against 512 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #122.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 389 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
12.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Fond Du Lac School District also operates Fond Du Lac High (1,917 students) and Sabish Middle (445 students) alongside Waters Elementary.
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 Waters Elementary compares
Waters Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.9:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.7% | ▼ 10% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 389 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
389
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 59% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$14,532
per pupil, district-wide
- below Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 389 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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 70.2%
Hispanic or Latino 15.9%
Two or More 8.0%
Asian 3.1%
African American 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 70.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.4, Waters Elementary is more mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fond Du Lac School District, which includes Waters Elementary.
$14,532
Per student
-3%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.9%
State 54.5%
Federal 12.7%
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 Waters Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fond Du Lac High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sabish Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Theisen Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Woodworth Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lakeshore Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waters Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,917
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 413
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 354
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Wisconsin, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~389 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waters Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Waters Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Fond Du Lac 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 Waters Elementary
How many students attend Waters Elementary?
Waters Elementary has 389 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fond Du Lac, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waters Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Waters Elementary is 13.9:1, which is 3% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waters Elementary?
34.7% of students at Waters Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waters Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Waters Elementary is White at 70.2% of enrollment, in Fond Du Lac, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waters Elementary?
Waters Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 Waters Elementary rank among schools in Fond Du Lac?
By Resource Investment Index, Waters Elementary ranks #8 of 12 schools in Fond Du Lac, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fond Du Lac on the city page.
Is Waters Elementary a good school?
Waters Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin 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 Fond Du Lac School District?
Besides Waters Elementary, Fond Du Lac School District also operates Fond Du Lac High (1,917 students), Sabish Middle (445 students), and Theisen Middle (431 students). See the Fond Du Lac 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.