Student-Staff Ratios at Nicolet Districts and How They Compare

One thing that always comes up when districts talk about laying off staff, is the student-staff ratio. In general, according to the non-profit group Class Size Matters, a lower ratio is considered good, providing for smaller class sizes and giving students more opportunity for attention from teachers. 

There were 870,470 students enrolled in Wisconsin public and charter schools in the 2011-12 school year. The districts employed 3,497 administrators, 31,532 aides and support staff, and 65,446 licensed staff members. (All employment numbers are full-time equivalents, meaning two half-time staff members would count as one.)

Average staff-student ratios are as follows: 249 students per administrator, 28 students per aide/support staff, and 13 students per licensed staff member. 

The lowest student-licensed staff ratio in the state is in the tiny Norris School District, which has a ratio of 3.61 for its 52 students and 14.4 licensed staff FTEs. The highest student-licensed staff ratio at a public school district is 18, for the Paris J1 district in Kenosha County, which has 252 students and 13.85 licensed staff FTEs. There were two Milwaukee charter schools with ratios of 19 students to licensed staff FTE.

Here's how local districts stack up, according to information from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. All numbers are for the 2011-12 school year.

Nicolet High School, Fox Point-Bayside, Maple Dale-Indian Hills and Glendale-River Hills all have student-staff ratios near the state average of 13, ranging from a low of 12.3 students to licensed staff in Maple Dale-Indian Hills to 13.68 at Nicolet. Support staff ratios are lower than the state average of 28 everywhere but at Fox Point-Bayside where there is one support staff member for every 31 students.

Combining the four Nicolet districts gives averaged ratios for students from 4K-12th grade that can be compared to districts like Shorewood and Whitefish Bay. Nicolet has the lowest ratio of students to administrators, of 199, compared to 249 for the state, 291 for Whitefish Bay and 302 for Shorewood. It has the lowest student-support staff ratio as well, with 26, versus 26 in Shorewood, 28 for the state and 38 in Whitefish Bay. Its student to licensed staff member ratio is also the lowest of the group, with just under 13 students per licensed staff member at Nicolet, versus 14 in Shorewood and Whitefish Bay, and just over 13 for the statewide average.

Are you happy with the ratios at your district?