Enrollment
652
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 421701005108
Carson Ms — Pittsburgh, PA
Federal NCES profile for Carson Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 61/100.
👥 Class size 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 85
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: North Allegheny Sd · Pennsylvania
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)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carson Ms compares with Pennsylvania 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
Carson Ms reports 652 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 60.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% below the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 31% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 16.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 72% below the Pennsylvania average and 69% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 326 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 6.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding North Allegheny Sd spends $20,851 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 76.1% from local sources (property taxes), 20.6% from the state, and 3.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+), 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 Carson Ms compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Pennsylvania state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.9:1 | ▼ 19% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.0% | ▼ 72% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 652 | top 75% | — | — |
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
16.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 72% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 13% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
6.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$20,851
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 326 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
47
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 652 Top 75% in Pennsylvania — larger than 25% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 60.0
Students per teacher 10.9:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 16.0% -72% vs state
NCES ID 421701005108
Student demographics
White 76.7%
Asian 11.8%
Hispanic or Latino 4.6%
Two or More 4.4%
African American 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 76.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 326:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.1%
In-school suspensions 47
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Allegheny Sd, which includes Carson Ms.
$20,851
Per student
-8%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 76.1%
State 20.6%
Federal 3.3%
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
- 2,711
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 875
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 847
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 800
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 718
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
Similar middle schools in Pittsburgh
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
North Hills Ms
Standard public school
1,127 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Dorseyville Ms
Standard public school
981 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Hills Ms
Standard public school
813 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Mellon Ms
Standard public school
661 students 11.5:1 students per teacher
Fort Couch Ms
Standard public school
647 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Linton Ms
Standard public school
626 students 12.8:1 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 Carson Ms
How many students attend Carson Ms?
Carson Ms has 652 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Pittsburgh, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carson Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Carson Ms is 10.9:1, which is 19% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 31% 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 Carson Ms?
16.0% of students at Carson Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carson Ms?
The largest demographic group at Carson Ms is White at 76.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Pittsburgh, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carson Ms?
Carson Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+) 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.