Enrollment
550
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 420366006326
Big Spring Ms — Newville, PA
Federal NCES profile for Big Spring Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 65
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: Big Spring Sd · Pennsylvania
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)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.8%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Spring Ms compares with Pennsylvania 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
Big Spring Ms reports 550 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 43.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% above the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 40.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 30% below the Pennsylvania average and 21% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Big Spring Sd spends $22,228 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 60.2% from local sources (property taxes), 31.4% from the state, and 8.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 3 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 Big Spring Ms compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Pennsylvania state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.8:1 | ▲ 2% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.8% | ▼ 30% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 550 | top 64% | — | — |
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
40.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 30% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.8:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 56% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.0%
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
$22,228
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
38
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 550 Top 64% in Pennsylvania — larger than 36% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 43.0
Students per teacher 13.8:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 40.8% -30% vs state
NCES ID 420366006326
Student demographics
White 91.6%
Two or More 3.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Asian 1.3%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 91.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.0%
In-school suspensions 38
Out-of-school suspensions 13
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Big Spring Sd, which includes Big Spring Ms.
$22,228
Per student
-2%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 60.2%
State 31.4%
Federal 8.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 764
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 351
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 348
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 331
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
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 Big Spring Ms
How many students attend Big Spring Ms?
Big Spring Ms has 550 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Newville, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Spring Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Spring Ms is 13.8:1, which is 2% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Big Spring Ms?
40.8% of students at Big Spring Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Spring Ms?
The largest demographic group at Big Spring Ms is White at 91.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Newville, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Spring Ms?
Big Spring Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.