Enrollment
133
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fulton, MD
Cedar Lane Special Center
Federal NCES profile for Cedar Lane Special Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240042001415
👥 S:T ratio 84
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cedar Lane Special Center earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of Maryland schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Maryland.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Fulton · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 4:1
- small classes for Maryland
- 28.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Cedar Lane Special Center has class sizes smaller than 98% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cedar Lane Special Center ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Fulton, MD.
School address
District: Howard County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240042001415 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
4:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
-72% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.2%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cedar Lane Special Center compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cedar Lane Special Center
Cedar Lane Special Center is a small combined-grade school in Fulton, Maryland, enrolling 133 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 4:1, Cedar Lane Special Center is leaner than roughly 98% of Maryland schools and 72% under the state's 14.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.2% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 96% of Maryland schools, with 133 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Its student body is led by African American (49%) and Asian (21%) (diversity index 68/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Fulton's public schools, it stands alongside Fulton Elementary (872 students): Cedar Lane Special Center is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (4:1 vs 15:1).
Howard County Public Schools also operates Marriotts Ridge High (1,741 students) and Reservoir High (1,597 students) alongside Cedar Lane Special Center.
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 Cedar Lane Special Center compares
Cedar Lane Special Center on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 4:1 | ▼ 72% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.2% | ▼ 42% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 133 | top 96% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
4:1
Leaner classes than 99% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
133
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
4:1
students per teacher
- 72% below state mean
Top 2% in Maryland - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
40.6%
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
$17,971
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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: 0.8 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 48.9%
Asian 21.1%
White 14.3%
Hispanic or Latino 12.0%
Two or More 3.8%
Largest group: African American at 48.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.0, Cedar Lane Special Center is more mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Howard County Public Schools, which includes Cedar Lane Special Center.
$17,971
Per student
-12%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.7%
State 29.5%
Federal 7.7%
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 Cedar Lane Special Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriotts Ridge High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Reservoir High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Atholton High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Howard High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mount Hebron High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cedar Lane Special Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,741
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,597
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,540
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,493
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,455
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar other schools in Fulton
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 Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~133 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cedar Lane Special Center's federal record.
- Compare Cedar Lane Special Center against another school. Compare schools
- Howard 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 Cedar Lane Special Center
How many students attend Cedar Lane Special Center?
Cedar Lane Special Center has 133 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Fulton, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cedar Lane Special Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Cedar Lane Special Center is 4:1, which is 72% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 75% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cedar Lane Special Center?
28.2% of students at Cedar Lane Special Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cedar Lane Special Center?
The largest demographic group at Cedar Lane Special Center is African American at 48.9% of enrollment, in Fulton, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cedar Lane Special Center?
Cedar Lane Special Center has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cedar Lane Special Center rank among public schools in Fulton?
By Resource Investment Index, Cedar Lane Special Center ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Fulton, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Fulton on the city page.
Is Cedar Lane Special Center a good school?
Cedar Lane Special Center earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of Maryland schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Maryland. 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 Howard County Public Schools?
Besides Cedar Lane Special Center, Howard County Public Schools also operates Marriotts Ridge High (1,741 students), Reservoir High (1,597 students), and Atholton High (1,540 students). See the Howard 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.