Enrollment
410
Delaware · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 100153000020
Blades Elementary School — Blades, DE
Federal NCES profile for Blades Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 39
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: Seaford School District · Delaware
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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 14.1:1 Delaware avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Blades Elementary School compares with Delaware 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
Blades Elementary School reports 410 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% above the Delaware state mean of 14.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 410 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Seaford School District spends $18,856 per pupil district-wide, above the Delaware average of $18,485 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 15.9% from local sources (property taxes), 63.1% from the state, and 20.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Blades Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Delaware state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Delaware | Delaware avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.2:1 | ▲ 8% | 14.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 410 | top 30% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
15.2:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 70% in Delaware — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,856
per pupil, district-wide
— above Delaware avg of $18,485
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 410 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 410 Top 30% in Delaware — larger than 70% of 223 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 15.2:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 100153000020
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 39.3%
African American 28.5%
White 22.2%
Two or More 9.0%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 39.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 410:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.4%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Seaford School District, which includes Blades Elementary School.
$18,856
Per student
+2%
vs Delaware
Avg $18,485
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 15.9%
State 63.1%
Federal 20.9%
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
- 960
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 800
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 473
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 424
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
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 Blades Elementary School
How many students attend Blades Elementary School?
Blades Elementary School has 410 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Blades, DE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Blades Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Blades Elementary School is 15.2:1, which is 8% higher than the Delaware average of 14.1:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Blades Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Blades Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 39.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Blades, DE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Blades Elementary School?
Blades Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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.