Enrollment
623
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 551584002035
Waupaca High — Waupaca, WI
Federal NCES profile for Waupaca High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 43
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 34
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: Waupaca 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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.1%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waupaca 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
Waupaca High reports 623 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 10% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 19% below the Wisconsin average and 40% below the national baseline. The school offers 11 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 312 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Waupaca School District spends $15,990 per pupil district-wide, below the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.4% from local sources (property taxes), 43.0% from the state, and 11.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Waupaca 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 5% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.1% | ▼ 19% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 623 | top 87% | — | — |
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
31.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 19% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 63% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
26.5%
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
$15,990
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 312 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
78
in-school suspensions + 67 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 623 Top 87% in Wisconsin — larger than 13% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 14.3:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.1% -19% vs state
NCES ID 551584002035
Student demographics
White 89.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.8%
Two or More 2.6%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 89.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 312:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.5%
In-school suspensions 78
Out-of-school suspensions 67
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waupaca School District, which includes Waupaca High.
$15,990
Per student
-14%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 45.4%
State 43.0%
Federal 11.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 602
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Enrollment
- 546
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 139
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Enrollment
- 133
- Students per teacher
- 26:1
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 Waupaca High
How many students attend Waupaca High?
Waupaca High has 623 students enrolled. It is a high school in Waupaca, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waupaca High?
The student-teacher ratio at Waupaca High is 14.3:1, which is 5% lower than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 10% 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 Waupaca High?
31.1% of students at Waupaca High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waupaca High?
The largest demographic group at Waupaca High is White at 89.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waupaca, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waupaca High?
Waupaca High has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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.