Enrollment
331
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · New Castle, IN
Blue River Valley Elementary Sch
Federal NCES profile for Blue River Valley Elementary Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 180066000140
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Blue River Valley Elementary Sch earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Indiana median.
- #2 of 7
- schools in New Castle · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 54.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Blue River Valley Elementary Sch has class sizes near the Indiana median. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Blue River Valley Elementary Sch ranks #2 of 7 schools in New Castle, IN.
School address
District: Blue River Valley Schools · Indiana
NCES ID 180066000140 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.3%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Blue River Valley Elementary Sch compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Blue River Valley Elementary Sch
Blue River Valley Elementary Sch is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in New Castle, Indiana, enrolling 331 students.
At 15:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Indiana median, within a few percentage points of the 15.9:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 54.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 331 puts it in the smaller third of Indiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Against 422 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #230.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 331 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 15.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among New Castle's public schools, it stands alongside Wilbur Wright Elementary School (305 students): Blue River Valley Elementary Sch is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15:1 vs 15.3:1).
Its district, Blue River Valley Schools, also runs Blue River Valley Jr-Sr High Sch (289 students).
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 Blue River Valley Elementary Sch compares
Blue River Valley Elementary Sch on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15:1 | ▼ 6% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.3% | ▲ 10% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 331 | top 72% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
331
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 45% in Indiana - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.7%
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
$12,778
per pupil, district-wide
- above Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 331 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 89.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.4%
Two or More 4.8%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 89.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.1, Blue River Valley Elementary Sch is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Blue River Valley Schools, which includes Blue River Valley Elementary Sch.
$12,778
Per student
+6%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.0%
State 55.4%
Federal 15.6%
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 Blue River Valley Elementary Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue River Valley Jr-Sr High Sch | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Blue River Valley Elementary Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 289
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
Similar other schools in New Castle
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Wilbur Wright Elementary School
Standard public school
305 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Blue River Valley Jr-Sr High Sch
Standard public school
289 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Parker Elementary School
Standard public school
278 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Eastwood Elementary School
Standard public school
257 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
Westwood Elementary School
Standard public school
256 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
James Whitcomb Riley Elem School
Standard public school
246 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~331 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Blue River Valley Elementary Sch's federal record.
- Compare Blue River Valley Elementary Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Blue River Valley Schools'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 Blue River Valley Elementary Sch
How many students attend Blue River Valley Elementary Sch?
Blue River Valley Elementary Sch has 331 students enrolled. It is a public school in New Castle, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Blue River Valley Elementary Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Blue River Valley Elementary Sch is 15:1, which is 6% lower than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 4% 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 Blue River Valley Elementary Sch?
54.3% of students at Blue River Valley Elementary Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Blue River Valley Elementary Sch?
The largest demographic group at Blue River Valley Elementary Sch is White at 89.1% of enrollment, in New Castle, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Blue River Valley Elementary Sch?
Blue River Valley Elementary Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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).
How does Blue River Valley Elementary Sch rank among schools in New Castle?
By Resource Investment Index, Blue River Valley Elementary Sch ranks #2 of 7 schools in New Castle, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in New Castle on the city page.
Is Blue River Valley Elementary Sch a good school?
Blue River Valley Elementary Sch earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Indiana 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 Blue River Valley Schools?
Besides Blue River Valley Elementary Sch, Blue River Valley Schools also operates Blue River Valley Jr-Sr High Sch (289 students). See the Blue River Valley Schools 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.