Enrollment
1,335
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Waunakee, WI
Waunakee High
Federal NCES profile for Waunakee High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 551581002030
👥 S:T ratio 46
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waunakee High earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median. It is also one of the largest schools in Wisconsin.
- #2 of 7
- public schools in Waunakee · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 5.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Waunakee High has class sizes near the Wisconsin median. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waunakee High ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Waunakee, WI.
School address
District: Waunakee Community School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 551581002030 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
99.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
5.9%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-85% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waunakee High compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waunakee High
Waunakee High is a lower-poverty, large high school in Waunakee, Wisconsin, enrolling 1,335 students.
At 13.5:1, 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 5.9% free-meal eligibility runs 85% below the Wisconsin average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Wisconsin, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,335 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Against 62 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #27.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 30/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 14 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 334 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 7 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Waunakee Community School District also operates Waunakee Middle (667 students) and Waunakee Intermediate (661 students) alongside Waunakee 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 Waunakee High compares
Waunakee High on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.5:1 | ▼ 6% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 5.9% | ▼ 85% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,335 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,335
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
5.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 85% below the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 54% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.4%
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
$13,753
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 334 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 expulsions.
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 83.1%
Hispanic or Latino 7.9%
Two or More 4.3%
Asian 3.3%
African American 1.5%
Largest group: White at 83.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.0, Waunakee High is less mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 14
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waunakee Community School District, which includes Waunakee High.
$13,753
Per student
-8%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.9%
State 37.5%
Federal 3.6%
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 Waunakee High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waunakee Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Waunakee Intermediate | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Waunakee Heritage Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Waunakee Prairie Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Arboretum Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waunakee High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 667
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 661
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 537
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 531
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar high 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 (~1,335 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waunakee High's federal record.
- Compare Waunakee High against another school. Compare schools
- Waunakee Community 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 Waunakee High
How many students attend Waunakee High?
Waunakee High has 1,335 students enrolled. It is a high school in Waunakee, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waunakee High?
The student-teacher ratio at Waunakee High is 13.5:1, which is 6% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 14% 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 Waunakee High?
5.9% of students at Waunakee High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waunakee High?
The largest demographic group at Waunakee High is White at 83.1% of enrollment, in Waunakee, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waunakee High?
Waunakee High has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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 Waunakee High rank among public schools in Waunakee?
By Resource Investment Index, Waunakee High ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Waunakee, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Waunakee on the city page.
Is Waunakee High a good school?
Waunakee High earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median. It is also one of the largest schools in Wisconsin. 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 Waunakee Community School District?
Besides Waunakee High, Waunakee Community School District also operates Waunakee Middle (667 students), Waunakee Intermediate (661 students), and Waunakee Heritage Elementary (537 students). See the Waunakee Community 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.