Enrollment
425
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 420088307561 Charter school
Arts Academy Elementary Cs — Allentown, PA
Federal NCES profile for Arts Academy Elementary Cs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 27
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: Arts Academy Elementary Cs · Pennsylvania
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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.6%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Arts Academy Elementary Cs compares with Pennsylvania 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
Arts Academy Elementary Cs reports 425 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% below the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 28% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 75.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 30% above the Pennsylvania average and 46% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 425 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Arts Academy Elementary Cs spends $17,985 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 83.0% from local sources (property taxes), 1.0% from the state, and 16.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Arts Academy Elementary Cs compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Pennsylvania state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.5:1 | ▼ 15% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.6% | ▲ 30% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 425 | top 44% | — | — |
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
75.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 30% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.5:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 19% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
29.4%
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
$17,985
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 425 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 425 Top 44% in Pennsylvania — larger than 56% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 11.5:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 75.6% +30% vs state
NCES ID 420088307561
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 81.4%
African American 18.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 81.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 425:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Arts Academy Elementary Cs, which includes Arts Academy Elementary Cs.
$17,985
Per student
-21%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 83.0%
State 1.0%
Federal 16.0%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Allentown
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays El Sch
Standard public school
807 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Luis a. Ramos El Sch
Standard public school
695 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Central El Sch
Standard public school
694 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Union Terrace El Sch
Standard public school
674 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Roosevelt El Sch
Standard public school
631 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Hiram W Dodd El Sch
Standard public school
627 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
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 Arts Academy Elementary Cs
How many students attend Arts Academy Elementary Cs?
Arts Academy Elementary Cs has 425 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Allentown, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Arts Academy Elementary Cs?
The student-teacher ratio at Arts Academy Elementary Cs is 11.5:1, which is 15% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 28% 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 Arts Academy Elementary Cs?
75.6% of students at Arts Academy Elementary Cs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Arts Academy Elementary Cs?
The largest demographic group at Arts Academy Elementary Cs is Hispanic or Latino at 81.4%. The school serves a student body in Allentown, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Arts Academy Elementary Cs?
Arts Academy Elementary Cs has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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.