Enrollment
834
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 420540000838
Central Dauphin Ms — Harrisburg, PA
Federal NCES profile for Central Dauphin Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 42
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: Central Dauphin 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)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.1%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Dauphin 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
Central Dauphin Ms reports 834 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 53.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% above the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% below the Pennsylvania average and 40% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 417 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Central Dauphin Sd spends $18,384 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.5% from local sources (property taxes), 22.6% from the state, and 8.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 Central Dauphin 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 | 16:1 | ▲ 19% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.1% | ▼ 46% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 834 | top 85% | — | — |
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
31.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% 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
16:1
students per teacher
— 19% above state mean
Top 86% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,384
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 417 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
56
in-school suspensions + 49 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 834 Top 85% in Pennsylvania — larger than 15% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 53.0
Students per teacher 16:1 +19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.1% -46% vs state
NCES ID 420540000838
Student demographics
White 66.4%
African American 10.2%
Asian 10.0%
Hispanic or Latino 7.7%
Two or More 5.8%
Largest group: White at 66.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 417:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.4%
In-school suspensions 56
Out-of-school suspensions 49
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Central Dauphin Sd, which includes Central Dauphin Ms.
$18,384
Per student
-19%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.5%
State 22.6%
Federal 8.9%
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
- 1,966
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,573
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 841
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 722
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 702
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
Similar middle schools in Harrisburg
5 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Linglestown Ms
Standard public school
841 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Susquehanna Twp Ms
Standard public school
820 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Camp Curtin Academy
Standard public school
724 students 13:1 students per teacher
Central Dauphin East Ms
Standard public school
702 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Rowland Academy
Standard public school
353 students 17.8:1 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 Central Dauphin Ms
How many students attend Central Dauphin Ms?
Central Dauphin Ms has 834 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Harrisburg, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Dauphin Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Dauphin Ms is 16:1, which is 19% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Dauphin Ms?
31.1% of students at Central Dauphin Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Dauphin Ms?
The largest demographic group at Central Dauphin Ms is White at 66.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Harrisburg, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Dauphin Ms?
Central Dauphin Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.