Enrollment
292
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Elizabeth, PA
Central El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Central El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420909000136
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central El Sch earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Elizabeth · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.3:1
- students per teacher
- 27.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Central El Sch has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central El Sch ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Elizabeth, PA.
School address
District: Elizabeth Forward Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420909000136 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.6%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central El Sch
Central El Sch is a mid-sized elementary school in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, enrolling 292 students.
At 13.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Pennsylvania median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 292 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Among 276 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #221, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1168 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Elizabeth Forward Sd also operates Elizabeth Forward Shs (763 students) and Elizabeth Forward Ms (538 students) alongside Central El Sch.
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 Central El Sch compares
Central El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.3:1 | ▼ 2% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.6% | ▼ 52% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 292 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
292
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% 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
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 49% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$17,215
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 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: 0.3 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
White 87.7%
Two or More 5.8%
Hispanic or Latino 2.4%
African American 2.1%
Asian 2.1%
Largest group: White at 87.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.6, Central El Sch is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Elizabeth Forward Sd, which includes Central El Sch.
$17,215
Per student
-4%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.8%
State 40.8%
Federal 6.3%
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.
How Central El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Forward Shs | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Elizabeth Forward Ms | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| William Penn El Sch | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mt Vernon El Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Greenock El Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 763
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 538
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 194
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 173
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
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 (~292 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Central El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Elizabeth Forward Sd'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 Central El Sch
How many students attend Central El Sch?
Central El Sch has 292 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Elizabeth, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Central El Sch is 13.3:1, which is 2% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 15% 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 Central El Sch?
27.6% of students at Central El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Central El Sch is White at 87.7% of enrollment, in Elizabeth, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central El Sch?
Central El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Central El Sch rank among public schools in Elizabeth?
By Resource Investment Index, Central El Sch ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Elizabeth, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Elizabeth on the city page.
Is Central El Sch a good school?
Central El Sch earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. 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 Elizabeth Forward Sd?
Besides Central El Sch, Elizabeth Forward Sd also operates Elizabeth Forward Shs (763 students), Elizabeth Forward Ms (538 students), and William Penn El Sch (333 students). See the Elizabeth Forward Sd 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.