Enrollment
557
Rhode Island · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Providence, RI
Asa Messer El. School
Federal NCES profile for Asa Messer El. School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 440090000213
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Asa Messer El. School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Rhode Island schools.
- #10 of 10
- schools in Providence · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18:1
- large classes for Rhode Island
- 75.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Asa Messer El. School has class sizes larger than 92% of Rhode Island schools. Computed live against every Rhode Island school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Asa Messer El. School ranks #10 of 10 schools in Providence, RI.
School address
District: Providence · Rhode Island
NCES ID 440090000213 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 13.8:1 Rhode Island avg
+30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.0%
vs 39.6% Rhode Island avg
+89% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Asa Messer El. School compares with Rhode Island and U.S. medians
What stands out at Asa Messer El. School
Asa Messer El. School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Providence, Rhode Island, enrolling 557 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18:1 is larger than about 92% of Rhode Island schools and 30% above the 13.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 75.0% of students qualify for free meals, 89% above the Rhode Island average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 557 puts it in the larger third of Rhode Island schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 308 Rhode Island schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 43 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Rhode Island schools statewide, it ranks #41, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (70%) and African American (14%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 557 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 68.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Providence's public schools, it stands alongside Cornel Young & Charlotte Woods (635 students): Asa Messer El. School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18:1 vs 16.7:1).
Providence also operates Classical High School (1,116 students) and Central High School (1,050 students) alongside Asa Messer El. 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 Asa Messer El. School compares
Asa Messer El. School on the metrics families compare, against Rhode Island and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Rhode Island | Rhode Island avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18:1 | ▲ 30% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.0% | ▲ 89% | 39.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 557 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
557
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
75.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 89% above the Rhode Island average of 39.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18:1
students per teacher
- 30% above state mean
Top 92% in Rhode Island - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
68.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,536
per pupil, district-wide
- above Rhode Island avg of $20,315
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 557 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 70.2%
African American 13.6%
White 6.8%
Asian 4.8%
Two or More 3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.0, Asa Messer El. School is about as mixed as the Rhode Island school average of 47.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Providence, which includes Asa Messer El. School.
$22,536
Per student
+11%
vs Rhode Island
Avg $20,315
+36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.2%
State 57.9%
Federal 16.8%
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 Asa Messer El. School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classical High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mount Pleasant High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Governor Christopher Delsesto | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Nathanael Greene Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Asa Messer El. School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,116
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,050
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 997
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 818
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 815
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar other schools in Providence
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Cornel Young & Charlotte Woods
Standard public school
635 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Anthony Carnevale Elementary
Standard public school
519 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Harry Kizirian Elementary
Standard public school
434 students 14:1 students per teacher
Pleasant View School
Standard public school
433 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Martin Luther King El. School
Standard public school
430 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Times2 Middle/High School
Standard public school
383 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Rhode Island, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~557 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Asa Messer El. School's federal record.
- Compare Asa Messer El. School against another school. Compare schools
- Providence'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 Asa Messer El. School
How many students attend Asa Messer El. School?
Asa Messer El. School has 557 students enrolled. It is a public school in Providence, RI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Asa Messer El. School?
The student-teacher ratio at Asa Messer El. School is 18:1, which is 30% higher than the Rhode Island average of 13.8:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Asa Messer El. School?
75.0% of students at Asa Messer El. School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Rhode Island average of 39.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Asa Messer El. School?
The largest demographic group at Asa Messer El. School is Hispanic or Latino at 70.2% of enrollment, in Providence, RI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Asa Messer El. School?
Asa Messer El. School has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Asa Messer El. School rank among schools in Providence?
By Resource Investment Index, Asa Messer El. School ranks #10 of 10 schools in Providence, RI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Providence on the city page.
Is Asa Messer El. School a good school?
Asa Messer El. School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Rhode Island 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 Providence?
Besides Asa Messer El. School, Providence also operates Classical High School (1,116 students), Central High School (1,050 students), and Mount Pleasant High (997 students). See the Providence 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.