Enrollment
392
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cardington, OH
Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 390487903406
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio median.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Cardington · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.7:1
- students per teacher
- 34.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School has class sizes near the Ohio median. Computed live against every Ohio school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Cardington, OH.
School address
District: Cardington-Lincoln Local · Ohio
NCES ID 390487903406 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 18.2:1 Ohio avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.4%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School compares with Ohio and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School
Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cardington, Ohio, enrolling 392 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Ohio schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 34.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 392 students, its enrollment sits close to the Ohio median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,574 scored Ohio schools.
Among 692 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Ohio schools statewide, it ranks #500, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 392 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Cardington's public schools, it stands alongside Tomorrow Center (106 students): Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.7:1 vs 15.1:1).
Cardington-Lincoln Local also operates Cardington-Lincoln Middle School (283 students) and Cardington-Lincoln High School (245 students) alongside Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School.
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 Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School compares
Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Ohio and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.7:1 | ▲ 3% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.4% | ▲ 9% | 31.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 392 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.7:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
392
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% above the Ohio average of 31.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.7:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 63% in Ohio - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.7%
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
$13,887
per pupil, district-wide
- below Ohio avg of $14,655
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 392 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 91.3%
Two or More 4.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.3%
African American 1.0%
Largest group: White at 91.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.3, Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School is less mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cardington-Lincoln Local, which includes Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School.
$13,887
Per student
-5%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.3%
State 47.6%
Federal 18.1%
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.
How Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardington-Lincoln Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cardington-Lincoln High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 283
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar other schools in Cardington
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Ohio, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~392 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Cardington-Lincoln Local'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 Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School
How many students attend Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School?
Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School has 392 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cardington, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School is 18.7:1, which is 3% higher than the Ohio average of 18.2:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School?
34.4% of students at Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School is White at 91.3% of enrollment, in Cardington, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School?
Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School rank among public schools in Cardington?
By Resource Investment Index, Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Cardington, OH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Cardington on the city page.
Is Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School a good school?
Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio 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 Cardington-Lincoln Local?
Besides Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School, Cardington-Lincoln Local also operates Cardington-Lincoln Middle School (283 students) and Cardington-Lincoln High School (245 students). See the Cardington-Lincoln Local 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.