Enrollment
500
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Severna Park, MD
Benfield Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Benfield Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240006000045
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 88
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Benfield Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Maryland schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools.
- #5 of 8
- public schools in Severna Park · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.7:1
- large classes for Maryland
- 5.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Benfield Elementary has class sizes larger than 78% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Benfield Elementary ranks #5 of 8 public schools in Severna Park, MD.
School address
District: Anne Arundel County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240006000045 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
5.9%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-88% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benfield Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Benfield Elementary
Benfield Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Severna Park, Maryland, enrolling 500 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 5.9% free-meal eligibility runs 88% below the Maryland average.
With 500 students, its enrollment sits close to the Maryland median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 124 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #50.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 500 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Anne Arundel County Public Schools also operates Glen Burnie High (2,226 students) and North County High (2,161 students) alongside Benfield Elementary.
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 Benfield Elementary compares
Benfield Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.7:1 | ▲ 15% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 5.9% | ▼ 88% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 500 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.7:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
500
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
5.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 88% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.7:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 78% in Maryland - lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
5.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$16,620
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 500 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 86.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Two or More 5.0%
Asian 1.4%
African American 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 86.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.4, Benfield Elementary is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, which includes Benfield Elementary.
$16,620
Per student
-19%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.4%
State 32.3%
Federal 11.4%
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 Benfield Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glen Burnie High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North County High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Broadneck High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Annapolis High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Meade High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Benfield Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,226
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,161
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 2,143
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 2,075
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,045
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~500 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Benfield Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Benfield Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Anne Arundel County Public Schools'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 Benfield Elementary
How many students attend Benfield Elementary?
Benfield Elementary has 500 students enrolled. It is a public school in Severna Park, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benfield Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Benfield Elementary is 16.7:1, which is 15% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benfield Elementary?
5.9% of students at Benfield Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benfield Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Benfield Elementary is White at 86.6% of enrollment, in Severna Park, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benfield Elementary?
Benfield Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical 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 Benfield Elementary rank among public schools in Severna Park?
By Resource Investment Index, Benfield Elementary ranks #5 of 8 public schools in Severna Park, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Severna Park on the city page.
Is Benfield Elementary a good school?
Benfield Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Maryland schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland 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 Anne Arundel County Public Schools?
Besides Benfield Elementary, Anne Arundel County Public Schools also operates Glen Burnie High (2,226 students), North County High (2,161 students), and Broadneck High (2,143 students). See the Anne Arundel County Public Schools 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.