Enrollment
920
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 180915002212
Willowcreek Middle School — Portage, IN
Federal NCES profile for Willowcreek Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 36
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Portage Township Schools · Indiana
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.8%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Willowcreek Middle School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Willowcreek Middle School reports 920 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 61.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 2% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% above the Indiana average and 6% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 460 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Portage Township Schools spends $14,031 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.8% from local sources (property taxes), 65.1% from the state, and 12.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Willowcreek Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.6:1 | ▼ 3% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.8% | ▲ 11% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 920 | top 90% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
54.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.6:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 53% in Indiana — lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,031
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 460 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
31
in-school suspensions + 148 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 920 Top 90% in Indiana — larger than 10% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 61.0
Students per teacher 15.6:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.8% +11% vs state
NCES ID 180915002212
Student demographics
White 51.5%
Hispanic or Latino 26.6%
African American 15.8%
Two or More 5.5%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 51.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 460:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.7%
In-school suspensions 31
Out-of-school suspensions 148
Expulsions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Portage Township Schools, which includes Willowcreek Middle School.
$14,031
Per student
-4%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.8%
State 65.1%
Federal 12.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,163
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 566
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 437
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
Similar middle schools in Portage
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Willowcreek Middle School
How many students attend Willowcreek Middle School?
Willowcreek Middle School has 920 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Portage, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Willowcreek Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Willowcreek Middle School is 15.6:1, which is 3% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Willowcreek Middle School?
54.8% of students at Willowcreek Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Willowcreek Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Willowcreek Middle School is White at 51.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Portage, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Willowcreek Middle School?
Willowcreek Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.