Enrollment
546
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Waupaca, WI
Waupaca Middle
Federal NCES profile for Waupaca Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 551584002036
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waupaca Middle earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Waupaca · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 35.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Waupaca Middle has class sizes near the Wisconsin median. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waupaca Middle ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Waupaca, WI.
School address
District: Waupaca School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 551584002036 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.9%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waupaca Middle compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waupaca Middle
Waupaca Middle is a mid-sized elementary school in Waupaca, Wisconsin, enrolling 546 students.
At 12.7:1, 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 35.9% lands close to the Wisconsin typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 546 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 401 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #57.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 364 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
14.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Waupaca School District also operates Waupaca High (623 students) and Waupaca Learning Center Elementary (602 students) alongside Waupaca Middle.
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 Waupaca Middle compares
Waupaca Middle on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.7:1 | ▼ 12% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.9% | ▼ 7% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 546 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
546
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 42% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
14.1%
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
$14,609
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 364 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.1 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 86.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.9%
Two or More 3.1%
African American 1.1%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 86.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.9, Waupaca Middle is less mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waupaca School District, which includes Waupaca Middle.
$14,609
Per student
-2%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Waupaca Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waupaca High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Waupaca Learning Center Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Chain Exploration Center | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Waupaca Community 4-Year Old Kindergarten | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waupaca Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 602
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 139
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 133
- Students per teacher
- 26.6:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
Similar elementary 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 (~546 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waupaca Middle's federal record.
- Compare Waupaca Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Waupaca 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 Waupaca Middle
How many students attend Waupaca Middle?
Waupaca Middle has 546 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Waupaca, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waupaca Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Waupaca Middle is 12.7:1, which is 12% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 19% 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 Waupaca Middle?
35.9% of students at Waupaca Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waupaca Middle?
The largest demographic group at Waupaca Middle is White at 86.8% of enrollment, in Waupaca, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waupaca Middle?
Waupaca Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Waupaca Middle rank among public schools in Waupaca?
By Resource Investment Index, Waupaca Middle ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Waupaca, 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 Waupaca on the city page.
Is Waupaca Middle a good school?
Waupaca Middle earns 53/100 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 Waupaca School District?
Besides Waupaca Middle, Waupaca School District also operates Waupaca High (623 students), Waupaca Learning Center Elementary (602 students), and Chain Exploration Center (139 students). See the Waupaca 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.