Enrollment
680
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 240033001766
Blue Heron Elementary — New Market, MD
Federal NCES profile for Blue Heron Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 60
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: Frederick County Public Schools · Maryland
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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
8.2%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-83% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Blue Heron Elementary compares with Maryland 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
Blue Heron Elementary reports 680 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% above the Maryland state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 8.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 83% below the Maryland average and 84% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 680 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Frederick County Public Schools spends $16,833 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $22,498 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 50.4% from local sources (property taxes), 38.3% from the state, and 11.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), 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 Blue Heron Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maryland state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17:1 | ▲ 18% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 8.2% | ▼ 83% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 680 | top 69% | — | — |
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
8.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 83% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 85% in Maryland — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.2%
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
$16,833
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $22,498
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 680 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 680 Top 69% in Maryland — larger than 31% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 17:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 8.2% -83% vs state
NCES ID 240033001766
Student demographics
White 60.7%
Hispanic or Latino 12.1%
Two or More 10.4%
Asian 9.4%
African American 7.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 60.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 680:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.2%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Frederick County Public Schools, which includes Blue Heron Elementary.
$16,833
Per student
-25%
vs Maryland
Avg $22,498
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 50.4%
State 38.3%
Federal 11.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,066
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,989
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,821
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,735
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,702
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
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 Blue Heron Elementary
How many students attend Blue Heron Elementary?
Blue Heron Elementary has 680 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in New Market, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Blue Heron Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Blue Heron Elementary is 17:1, which is 18% higher than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Blue Heron Elementary?
8.2% of students at Blue Heron Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Blue Heron Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Blue Heron Elementary is White at 60.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in New Market, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Blue Heron Elementary?
Blue Heron Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) 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.