Enrollment
159
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 310007701886
Benkelman Elementary School — Benkelman, NE
Federal NCES profile for Benkelman Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 61
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: Dundy Co Stratton Public Schs · Nebraska
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)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Nebraska avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.0%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benkelman Elementary School compares with Nebraska 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
Benkelman Elementary School reports 159 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% below the Nebraska state mean of 13.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 45.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% above the Nebraska average and 13% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 795 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dundy Co Stratton Public Schs spends $31,361 per pupil district-wide, above the Nebraska average of $20,313 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 76.9% from local sources (property taxes), 12.2% from the state, and 10.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Benkelman Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Nebraska state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 10% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.0% | ▲ 46% | 30.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 159 | top 36% | — | — |
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
45.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% above the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 41% in Nebraska — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$31,361
per pupil, district-wide
— above Nebraska avg of $20,313
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Per 795 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
Enrollment 159 Top 36% in Nebraska — larger than 64% of 1,010 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 12.3:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 45.0% +46% vs state
NCES ID 310007701886
Student demographics
White 83.6%
Hispanic or Latino 13.8%
Two or More 2.5%
Largest group: White at 83.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.2
Students per counselor 795:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dundy Co Stratton Public Schs, which includes Benkelman Elementary School.
$31,361
Per student
+54%
vs Nebraska
Avg $20,313
+61%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 76.9%
State 12.2%
Federal 10.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 126
- Students per teacher
- 8.1:1
Similar other schools in Benkelman
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Benkelman Elementary School
How many students attend Benkelman Elementary School?
Benkelman Elementary School has 159 students enrolled. It is a other school in BENKELMAN, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benkelman Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Benkelman Elementary School is 12.3:1, which is 10% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.6:1 and 23% 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 Benkelman Elementary School?
45.0% of students at Benkelman Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benkelman Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Benkelman Elementary School is White at 83.6%. The school serves a student body in BENKELMAN, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benkelman Elementary School?
Benkelman Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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.