Enrollment
544
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Takoma Park, MD
Carole Highlands Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Carole Highlands Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240051000999
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carole Highlands Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Maryland schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Takoma Park · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16:1
- large classes for Maryland
- 80.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Carole Highlands Elementary has class sizes larger than 70% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Carole Highlands Elementary ranks #3 of 3 schools in Takoma Park, MD.
School address
District: Prince George's County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240051000999 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.0%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
+63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carole Highlands Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carole Highlands Elementary
Carole Highlands Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Takoma Park, Maryland, enrolling 544 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16:1 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 80.0% of students qualify for free meals, 63% above the Maryland average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 544 students, its enrollment sits close to the Maryland median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 217 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #58.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 544 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Takoma Park's public schools, it stands alongside Rolling Terrace Elementary (645 students): Carole Highlands Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16:1 vs 10.4:1).
Prince George's County Public Schools also operates High Point High (3,012 students) and Charles Herbert Flowers High (2,712 students) alongside Carole Highlands Elementary.
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 Carole Highlands Elementary compares
Carole Highlands Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.0% | ▲ 63% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 544 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
544
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 63% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 70% in Maryland - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$19,234
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 544 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: 0.2 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
Hispanic or Latino 94.9%
African American 2.6%
White 2.0%
Two or More 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.8, Carole Highlands Elementary is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Prince George's County Public Schools, which includes Carole Highlands Elementary.
$19,234
Per student
-6%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.8%
State 51.1%
Federal 12.1%
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 Carole Highlands Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Point High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Charles Herbert Flowers High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Parkdale High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bowie High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eleanor Roosevelt High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carole Highlands Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,012
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,712
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,588
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 2,580
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,544
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools in Takoma Park
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~544 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carole Highlands Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Carole Highlands Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Prince George's County Public 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 Carole Highlands Elementary
How many students attend Carole Highlands Elementary?
Carole Highlands Elementary has 544 students enrolled. It is a public school in Takoma Park, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carole Highlands Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Carole Highlands Elementary is 16:1, which is 10% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Carole Highlands Elementary?
80.0% of students at Carole Highlands Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carole Highlands Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Carole Highlands Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 94.9% of enrollment, in Takoma Park, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carole Highlands Elementary?
Carole Highlands Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Carole Highlands Elementary rank among schools in Takoma Park?
By Resource Investment Index, Carole Highlands Elementary ranks #3 of 3 schools in Takoma Park, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Takoma Park on the city page.
Is Carole Highlands Elementary a good school?
Carole Highlands Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Maryland schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools. 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 Prince George's County Public Schools?
Besides Carole Highlands Elementary, Prince George's County Public Schools also operates High Point High (3,012 students), Charles Herbert Flowers High (2,712 students), and Parkdale High (2,588 students). See the Prince George's County Public 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.