Enrollment
387
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Valparaiso, IN
Wheeler High School
Federal NCES profile for Wheeler High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 181170001873
👥 S:T ratio 57
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wheeler High School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Indiana schools.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Valparaiso · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.8:1
- small classes for Indiana
- 24.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Wheeler High School has class sizes smaller than 93% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wheeler High School ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Valparaiso, IN.
School address
District: Union Township School Corp · Indiana
NCES ID 181170001873 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.8:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
-32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.7%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wheeler High School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wheeler High School
Wheeler High School is a mid-sized high school in Valparaiso, Indiana, enrolling 387 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.8:1, Wheeler High School is leaner than roughly 93% of Indiana schools and 32% under the state's 15.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 24.7% free-meal eligibility runs 50% below the Indiana average.
With 387 students, its enrollment sits close to the Indiana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 1,862 Indiana schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 275 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #37.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 194 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Valparaiso's high schools, it stands alongside Valparaiso High School (2,089 students): Wheeler High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.8:1 vs 20.7:1).
Union Township School Corp also operates Union Center Elementary School (386 students) and Union Township Middle School (333 students) alongside Wheeler 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 Wheeler High School compares
Wheeler High School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.8:1 | ▼ 32% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.7% | ▼ 50% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 387 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.8:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
387
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.8:1
students per teacher
- 32% below state mean
Top 7% in Indiana - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,353
per pupil, district-wide
- above Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 194 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 33 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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 80.4%
Hispanic or Latino 14.5%
Two or More 3.1%
African American 1.6%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 80.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.1, Wheeler High School is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union Township School Corp, which includes Wheeler High School.
$12,353
Per student
+2%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.3%
State 53.7%
Federal 6.0%
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 Wheeler High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Center Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Union Township Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John Simatovich Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wheeler High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 386
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 280
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar high schools in Valparaiso
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~387 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wheeler High School's federal record.
- Compare Wheeler High School against another school. Compare schools
- Union Township School Corp'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 Wheeler High School
How many students attend Wheeler High School?
Wheeler High School has 387 students enrolled. It is a high school in Valparaiso, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wheeler High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Wheeler High School is 10.8:1, which is 32% lower than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 31% 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 Wheeler High School?
24.7% of students at Wheeler High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wheeler High School?
The largest demographic group at Wheeler High School is White at 80.4% of enrollment, in Valparaiso, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wheeler High School?
Wheeler High School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Wheeler High School rank among high schools in Valparaiso?
By Resource Investment Index, Wheeler High School ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Valparaiso, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Valparaiso on the city page.
Is Wheeler High School a good school?
Wheeler High School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Indiana 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 Union Township School Corp?
Besides Wheeler High School, Union Township School Corp also operates Union Center Elementary School (386 students), Union Township Middle School (333 students), and John Simatovich Elementary School (280 students). See the Union Township School Corp 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.