Enrollment
301
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Darlington, PA
Big Beaver El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Big Beaver El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420363000650
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Big Beaver El Sch earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.1:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 301
- students enrolled
Big Beaver El Sch has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Big Beaver Falls Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420363000650 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Beaver El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Big Beaver El Sch
Big Beaver El Sch is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Darlington, Pennsylvania, enrolling 301 students.
At 13.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Pennsylvania median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 301 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 394 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #122.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Two or More (17%) (diversity index 54/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 301 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Big Beaver Falls Area Sd also operates Beaver Falls Area Shs (486 students) and Central El Sch (466 students) alongside Big Beaver El Sch.
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 Big Beaver El Sch compares
Big Beaver El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.1:1 | ▼ 4% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 301 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
301
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% 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
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 46% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
29.2%
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
$15,137
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 301 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.0 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
White 64.5%
Two or More 16.6%
African American 11.3%
Hispanic or Latino 7.0%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 64.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.9, Big Beaver El Sch is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Big Beaver Falls Area Sd, which includes Big Beaver El Sch.
$15,137
Per student
-16%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.3%
State 58.5%
Federal 16.2%
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 Big Beaver El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Falls Area Shs | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Central El Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Beaver Falls Ms | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Big Beaver El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 360
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
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 (~301 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Big Beaver El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Big Beaver El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Big Beaver Falls 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 Big Beaver El Sch
How many students attend Big Beaver El Sch?
Big Beaver El Sch has 301 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Darlington, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Beaver El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Beaver El Sch is 13.1:1, which is 4% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Big Beaver El Sch?
100.0% of students at Big Beaver El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Beaver El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Big Beaver El Sch is White at 64.5% of enrollment, in Darlington, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Beaver El Sch?
Big Beaver El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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).
Is Big Beaver El Sch a good school?
Big Beaver El Sch earns 46/100 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 Big Beaver Falls Area Sd?
Besides Big Beaver El Sch, Big Beaver Falls Area Sd also operates Beaver Falls Area Shs (486 students), Central El Sch (466 students), and Beaver Falls Ms (360 students). See the Big Beaver Falls 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.