Enrollment
315
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Pittsburgh, PA
Catalyst Academy Cs
Federal NCES profile for Catalyst Academy Cs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420090407681Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Catalyst Academy Cs earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #61 of 62
- elementary schools in Pittsburgh · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 88.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Catalyst Academy Cs has class sizes larger than 96% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Catalyst Academy Cs ranks #61 of 62 elementary schools in Pittsburgh, PA.
School address
District: Catalyst Academy Cs · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420090407681 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.3%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Catalyst Academy Cs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Catalyst Academy Cs
Catalyst Academy Cs is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, enrolling 315 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.5:1 is larger than about 96% of Pennsylvania schools and 36% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 88.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 315 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Among 449 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #367, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 315 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Pittsburgh's elementary schools, it stands alongside Penn Hills El Sch (1,228 students): Catalyst Academy Cs is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.5:1 vs 13.2:1).
Catalyst Academy Cs is a single-school charter district, so Catalyst Academy Cs operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Catalyst Academy Cs compares
Catalyst Academy Cs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.5:1 | ▲ 36% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.3% | ▲ 52% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 315 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
315
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
88.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 36% above state mean
Top 96% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.7%
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
$20,011
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 315 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
African American 87.9%
Two or More 7.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
White 1.0%
Largest group: African American at 87.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.0, Catalyst Academy Cs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Catalyst Academy Cs, which includes Catalyst Academy Cs.
$20,011
Per student
+11%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 80.1%
State 0.1%
Federal 19.8%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Pittsburgh
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Penn Hills El Sch
Standard public school
1,228 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Mcknight El Sch
Standard public school
875 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Chartiers Valley Intrmd School
Standard public school
801 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Pittsburgh Colfax K-8
Standard public school
789 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Ohara El Sch
Standard public school
726 students 14:1 students per teacher
J.E. Harrison Education Ctr
Standard public school
716 students 9.8:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~315 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Catalyst Academy Cs's federal record.
- Compare Catalyst Academy Cs against another school. Compare schools
- Catalyst Academy Cs'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 Catalyst Academy Cs
How many students attend Catalyst Academy Cs?
Catalyst Academy Cs has 315 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Pittsburgh, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Catalyst Academy Cs?
The student-teacher ratio at Catalyst Academy Cs is 18.5:1, which is 36% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Catalyst Academy Cs?
88.3% of students at Catalyst Academy Cs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Catalyst Academy Cs?
The largest demographic group at Catalyst Academy Cs is African American at 87.9% of enrollment, in Pittsburgh, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Catalyst Academy Cs?
Catalyst Academy Cs has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Catalyst Academy Cs rank among elementary schools in Pittsburgh?
By Resource Investment Index, Catalyst Academy Cs ranks #61 of 62 elementary schools in Pittsburgh, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Pittsburgh on the city page.
Is Catalyst Academy Cs a good school?
Catalyst Academy Cs earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Pennsylvania 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 Catalyst Academy Cs?
None; Catalyst Academy Cs is a single-school charter district, and Catalyst Academy Cs is its only campus.
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.