Enrollment
650
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 180102001570
Cardinal Elementary School — Brownsburg, IN
Federal NCES profile for Cardinal Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 80
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 →
The verdict
Cardinal Elementary School earns a D Resource Investment Index (47/100), with class sizes near the Indiana median.
- D
- Resource Index · 47/100
- 15.5:1
- students per teacher
- 29.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 650
- students enrolled
School address
District: Brownsburg Community School Corp · Indiana
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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.4%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cardinal Elementary School compares with Indiana 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
Cardinal Elementary School reports 650 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 29.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the Indiana average and 43% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 650 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Brownsburg Community School Corp spends $13,893 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.9% from local sources (property taxes), 57.0% from the state, and 7.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Cardinal Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.5:1 | ▼ 4% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.4% | ▼ 41% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 650 | top 78% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
16 smaller classes than 44% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
650 larger than 77% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
29.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.5:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 51% in Indiana — lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,893
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 650 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 650 Top 78% in Indiana — larger than 22% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 15.5:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 29.4% -41% vs state
NCES ID 180102001570
Student demographics
White 51.8%
African American 27.4%
Hispanic or Latino 11.1%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 51.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 650:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.0%
In-school suspensions 24
Out-of-school suspensions 27
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Brownsburg Community School Corp, which includes Cardinal Elementary School.
$13,893
Per student
-5%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.9%
State 57.0%
Federal 7.1%
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
- 3,355
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,291
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,198
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 555
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 554
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Brownsburg
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Brown Elementary School
Standard public school
555 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Reagan Elementary School
Standard public school
554 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Lincoln Elementary School
Standard public school
540 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Eagle Elementary School
Standard public school
539 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Delaware Trail Elementary School
Standard public school
512 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
White Lick Elementary School
Standard public school
473 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
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 Cardinal Elementary School
How many students attend Cardinal Elementary School?
Cardinal Elementary School has 650 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Brownsburg, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cardinal Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cardinal Elementary School is 15.5:1, which is 4% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cardinal Elementary School?
29.4% of students at Cardinal Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cardinal Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cardinal Elementary School is White at 51.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Brownsburg, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cardinal Elementary School?
Cardinal Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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.