Enrollment
422
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Portage, WI
Wayne Bartels Middle
Federal NCES profile for Wayne Bartels Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 551206002283
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wayne Bartels Middle earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median.
- #4 of 7
- public schools in Portage · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 42.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Wayne Bartels Middle has class sizes near the Wisconsin median. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wayne Bartels Middle ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Portage, WI.
School address
District: Portage Community School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 551206002283 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.1%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wayne Bartels Middle compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wayne Bartels Middle
Wayne Bartels Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Portage, Wisconsin, enrolling 422 students.
At 12.8:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 42.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 422 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.
Among 430 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Wisconsin schools statewide, it ranks #28, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 169 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Portage Community School District also operates Portage High (600 students) and Muir Elementary (439 students) alongside Wayne Bartels 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 Wayne Bartels Middle compares
Wayne Bartels 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 11% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.1% | ▲ 9% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 422 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
422
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% above the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 44% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.1%
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
$13,540
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
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 169 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.0 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 78.0%
Hispanic or Latino 12.8%
Two or More 6.4%
African American 1.4%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 78.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.1, Wayne Bartels Middle is about as mixed as the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Portage Community School District, which includes Wayne Bartels Middle.
$13,540
Per student
-9%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.2%
State 47.1%
Federal 10.7%
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 Wayne Bartels Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portage High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Muir Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Woodridge Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Portage Partnering Preschool | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lewiston Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wayne Bartels Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 600
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 71/100
- Enrollment
- 201
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 129
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 84
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
Similar middle 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 (~422 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wayne Bartels Middle's federal record.
- Compare Wayne Bartels Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Portage 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 Wayne Bartels Middle
How many students attend Wayne Bartels Middle?
Wayne Bartels Middle has 422 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Portage, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wayne Bartels Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Wayne Bartels Middle is 12.8:1, which is 11% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 18% 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 Wayne Bartels Middle?
42.1% of students at Wayne Bartels Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wayne Bartels Middle?
The largest demographic group at Wayne Bartels Middle is White at 78.0% of enrollment, in Portage, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wayne Bartels Middle?
Wayne Bartels Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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 Wayne Bartels Middle rank among public schools in Portage?
By Resource Investment Index, Wayne Bartels Middle ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Portage, 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 Portage on the city page.
Is Wayne Bartels Middle a good school?
Wayne Bartels Middle earns 58/100 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 Portage Community School District?
Besides Wayne Bartels Middle, Portage Community School District also operates Portage High (600 students), Muir Elementary (439 students), and Woodridge Elementary (201 students). See the Portage 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.