Enrollment
319
Idaho · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 160309000537
Central Elementary School — Sugar City, ID
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 19/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
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 →
The verdict
Central Elementary School earns an F Resource Investment Index (19/100), with class sizes near the Idaho median.
- F
- Resource Index · 19/100
- 18.2:1
- students per teacher
- 26.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 319
- students enrolled
School address
District: Sugar-Salem Joint District · Idaho
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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.2:1
vs 17.3:1 Idaho avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.1%
vs 29.3% Idaho avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Elementary School compares with Idaho 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 Elementary School reports 319 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the Idaho state mean of 17.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% below the Idaho average and 50% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 638 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sugar-Salem Joint District spends $8,040 per pupil district-wide, below the Idaho average of $11,939 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 18.8% from local sources (property taxes), 67.0% from the state, and 14.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Idaho state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Idaho | Idaho avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.2:1 | ▲ 5% | 17.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.1% | ▼ 11% | 29.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 319 | top 48% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
18 smaller classes than 23% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
319 larger than 35% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
26.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% below the Idaho average of 29.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.2:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 58% in Idaho — lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$8,040
per pupil, district-wide
— below Idaho avg of $11,939
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 638 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
Enrollment 319 Top 48% in Idaho — larger than 52% of 778 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 18.2:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.1% -11% vs state
NCES ID 160309000537
Student demographics
White 84.3%
Hispanic or Latino 10.3%
Two or More 2.5%
African American 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 84.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 638:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sugar-Salem Joint District, which includes Central Elementary School.
$8,040
Per student
-33%
vs Idaho
Avg $11,939
-52%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.8%
State 67.0%
Federal 14.2%
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
- 688
- Students per teacher
- 44.9:1
- Enrollment
- 584
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 318
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
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 Elementary School
How many students attend Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has 319 students enrolled. It is a other school in Sugar City, ID.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School is 18.2:1, which is 5% higher than the Idaho average of 17.3:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Elementary School?
26.1% of students at Central Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Idaho average of 29.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Central Elementary School is White at 84.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sugar City, ID.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Central Elementary School a good school?
Central Elementary School earns an F Resource Investment Index (19/100), with class sizes near the Idaho median. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.