Enrollment
750
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Elizabethtown, PA
Bear Creek School
Federal NCES profile for Bear Creek School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420912007385
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 85
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bear Creek School earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Elizabethtown · Resource Index
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.2:1
- students per teacher
- 39.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Bear Creek School has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bear Creek School ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Elizabethtown, PA.
School address
District: Elizabethtown Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420912007385 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bear Creek School compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bear Creek School
Bear Creek School is a mid-sized elementary school in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, enrolling 750 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 750 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 2,889 Pennsylvania schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 490 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #15, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 250 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Elizabethtown's elementary schools, it stands alongside East High Street El Sch (466 students): Bear Creek School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.2:1 vs 14.1:1).
Elizabethtown Area Sd also operates Elizabethtown Area Shs (1,263 students) and Elizabethtown Area Ms (827 students) alongside Bear Creek 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 Bear Creek School compares
Bear Creek School on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▲ 4% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.0% | ▼ 33% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 750 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
750
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 33% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 65% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
6.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$15,977
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 250 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
37
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.9 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
White 81.1%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
Two or More 5.7%
African American 3.1%
Asian 2.5%
Largest group: White at 81.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.2, Bear Creek School is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Elizabethtown Area Sd, which includes Bear Creek School.
$15,977
Per student
-11%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 65.7%
State 29.5%
Federal 4.7%
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 Bear Creek School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabethtown Area Shs | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Elizabethtown Area Ms | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East High Street El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bainbridge El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bear Creek School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,263
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 827
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 219
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar elementary schools in Elizabethtown
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~750 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bear Creek School's federal record.
- Compare Bear Creek School against another school. Compare schools
- Elizabethtown Area Sd'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 Bear Creek School
How many students attend Bear Creek School?
Bear Creek School has 750 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Elizabethtown, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bear Creek School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bear Creek School is 14.2:1, which is 4% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bear Creek School?
39.0% of students at Bear Creek School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bear Creek School?
The largest demographic group at Bear Creek School is White at 81.1% of enrollment, in Elizabethtown, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bear Creek School?
Bear Creek School has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (higher 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 Bear Creek School rank among elementary schools in Elizabethtown?
By Resource Investment Index, Bear Creek School ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Elizabethtown, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Elizabethtown on the city page.
Is Bear Creek School a good school?
Bear Creek School earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. 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 Elizabethtown Area Sd?
Besides Bear Creek School, Elizabethtown Area Sd also operates Elizabethtown Area Shs (1,263 students), Elizabethtown Area Ms (827 students), and East High Street El Sch (466 students). See the Elizabethtown Area Sd 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.