Enrollment
232
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Barrett, MN
Wca Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Wca Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 270010404375
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wca Middle School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Minnesota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.8:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 38.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 232
- students enrolled
Wca Middle School has class sizes larger than 74% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: West Central Area · Minnesota
NCES ID 270010404375 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wca Middle School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wca Middle School
Wca Middle School is a mid-sized elementary school in Barrett, Minnesota, enrolling 232 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 38.6% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 232 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 285 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #158.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 11/100).
17.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
West Central Area also operates West Central Area Secondary (229 students) and West Central Area N. El. (144 students) alongside Wca Middle 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 Wca Middle School compares
Wca Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.8:1 | ▲ 13% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.6% | ▼ 10% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 232 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
232
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 74% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,876
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 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 94.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.6%
Two or More 2.2%
African American 0.9%
Largest group: White at 94.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.8, Wca Middle School is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Central Area, which includes Wca Middle School.
$14,876
Per student
-3%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.6%
State 66.0%
Federal 11.4%
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 Wca Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Central Area Secondary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Central Area N. El. | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Central Area S. El. | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wca Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 229
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 144
- Students per teacher
- 8.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 138
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~232 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wca Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Wca Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- West Central Area'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 Wca Middle School
How many students attend Wca Middle School?
Wca Middle School has 232 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Barrett, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wca Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Wca Middle School is 17.8:1, which is 13% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wca Middle School?
38.6% of students at Wca Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wca Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Wca Middle School is White at 94.4% of enrollment, in Barrett, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wca Middle School?
Wca Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Wca Middle School a good school?
Wca Middle School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Minnesota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota 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 West Central Area?
Besides Wca Middle School, West Central Area also operates West Central Area Secondary (229 students), West Central Area N. El. (144 students), and West Central Area S. El. (138 students). See the West Central Area 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.