Enrollment
342
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Franklin, PA
Central El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Central El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 421020004667
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central El Sch earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Franklin · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.4:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Central El Sch has class sizes smaller than 89% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central El Sch ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Franklin, PA.
School address
District: Franklin Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421020004667 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% 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 high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Franklin, Pennsylvania, enrolling 342 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.4:1, Central El Sch is leaner than roughly 89% of Pennsylvania schools and 24% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 342 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.
Against 450 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #187.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 342 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Franklin's elementary schools, it stands alongside Sandycreek El Sch (282 students): Central El Sch is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.4:1 vs 11.3:1).
Franklin Area Sd also operates Franklin Area Jshs (942 students) and Sandycreek El Sch (282 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 | 10.4:1 | ▼ 24% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 342 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
342
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% 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
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 11% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$16,270
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 342 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 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 83.3%
Two or More 10.8%
African American 2.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.6%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 83.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.3, Central El Sch is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Franklin Area Sd, which includes Central El Sch.
$16,270
Per student
-9%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.6%
State 57.5%
Federal 6.9%
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.
How Central El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Area Jshs | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sandycreek El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Victory El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower 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
- 942
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 282
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 182
- Students per teacher
- 7.9:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar elementary schools in Franklin
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~342 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Central El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Franklin Area 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 342 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Franklin, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Central El Sch is 10.4:1, which is 24% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 34% 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?
100.0% 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 83.3% of enrollment, in Franklin, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central El Sch?
Central El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Franklin?
By Resource Investment Index, Central El Sch ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Franklin, 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 Franklin on the city page.
Is Central El Sch a good school?
Central El Sch earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% 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 Franklin Area Sd?
Besides Central El Sch, Franklin Area Sd also operates Franklin Area Jshs (942 students), Sandycreek El Sch (282 students), and Victory El Sch (182 students). See the Franklin Area 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.