Enrollment
323
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Wayne, NE
Wayne High School
Federal NCES profile for Wayne High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 317852001702
👥 S:T ratio 32
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wayne High School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Nebraska schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Wayne · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17:1
- large classes for Nebraska
- 21.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Wayne High School has class sizes larger than 87% of Nebraska schools. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wayne High School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Wayne, NE.
School address
District: Wayne Community Schools · Nebraska
NCES ID 317852001702 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg
+26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.8%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wayne High School compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wayne High School
Wayne High School is a mid-sized high school in Wayne, Nebraska, enrolling 323 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17:1 is larger than about 87% of Nebraska schools and 26% above the 13.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 21.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 323 students, its enrollment sits close to the Nebraska median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,003 scored Nebraska schools.
Against 188 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #113.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%) (diversity index 43/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 323 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Wayne Community Schools spends $12,196 per pupil, 31% below the Nebraska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Wayne Community Schools also operates Wayne Elementary School (499 students) and Wayne Junior High School (148 students) alongside Wayne High School.
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 High School compares
Wayne High School on the metrics families compare, against Nebraska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17:1 | ▲ 26% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.8% | ▼ 29% | 30.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 323 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
323
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% below the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17:1
students per teacher
- 26% above state mean
Top 87% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.6%
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
$12,196
per pupil, district-wide
- below Nebraska avg of $17,680
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 323 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.0 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 72.1%
Hispanic or Latino 22.6%
African American 2.5%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 72.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.8, Wayne High School is more mixed than the Nebraska school average of 34.9.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wayne Community Schools, which includes Wayne High School.
$12,196
Per student
-31%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 77.3%
State 14.3%
Federal 8.5%
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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wayne Junior High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wayne Early Learning Center | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wayne High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 499
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 148
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 46
- Students per teacher
- 46:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Nebraska, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~323 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wayne High School's federal record.
- Compare Wayne High School against another school. Compare schools
- Wayne Community Schools'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 High School
How many students attend Wayne High School?
Wayne High School has 323 students enrolled. It is a high school in Wayne, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wayne High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Wayne High School is 17:1, which is 26% higher than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wayne High School?
21.8% of students at Wayne High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wayne High School?
The largest demographic group at Wayne High School is White at 72.1% of enrollment, in Wayne, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wayne High School?
Wayne High School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Wayne High School rank among public schools in Wayne?
By Resource Investment Index, Wayne High School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Wayne, NE. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Wayne on the city page.
Is Wayne High School a good school?
Wayne High School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Nebraska schools. 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 Wayne Community Schools?
Besides Wayne High School, Wayne Community Schools also operates Wayne Elementary School (499 students), Wayne Junior High School (148 students), and Wayne Early Learning Center (46 students). See the Wayne Community Schools 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.