Enrollment
319
Idaho · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sugar City, ID
Central Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 160309000537
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Elementary School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Idaho median.
- #4 of 6
- public schools in Sugar City · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.8:1
- students per teacher
- 26.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Central Elementary School has class sizes near the Idaho median. Computed live against every Idaho school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elementary School ranks #4 of 6 public schools in Sugar City, ID.
School address
District: Sugar-Salem Joint District · Idaho
NCES ID 160309000537 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 17.1:1 Idaho avg
-2% 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
What stands out at Central Elementary School
Central Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Sugar City, Idaho, enrolling 319 students.
At 16.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Idaho median, within a few percentage points of the 17.1:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 26.1% lands close to the Idaho typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 319 students, its enrollment sits close to the Idaho median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 775 Idaho schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 195 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Idaho schools statewide, it ranks #184, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 638 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
The surrounding Sugar-Salem Joint District spends $8,040 per pupil, 33% below the Idaho average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Sugar-Salem Joint District also operates Sugar-Salem Online (688 students) and Sugar-Salem High School (584 students) alongside Central Elementary School.
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 Elementary School compares
Central Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Idaho and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Idaho | Idaho avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.8:1 | ▼ 2% | 17.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.1% | ▼ 11% | 29.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 319 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
319
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 50% in Idaho - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$8,040
per pupil, district-wide
- below Idaho avg of $11,939
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 27.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.8, Central Elementary School is less mixed than the Idaho school average of 36.3.
Programs
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.
How Central Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar-Salem Online | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sugar-Salem High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sugar-Salem Junior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kershaw Intermediate School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valley View Alternative High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 688
- Students per teacher
- 98.3:1
- Resource Index
- 0/100
- Enrollment
- 584
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 318
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Idaho, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~319 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Central Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Sugar-Salem Joint District'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 Elementary School
How many students attend Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has 319 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sugar City, ID.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School is 16.8:1, which is 2% lower than the Idaho average of 17.1:1 and 7% higher 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 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% of enrollment, in Sugar City, ID.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Central Elementary School rank among public schools in Sugar City?
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elementary School ranks #4 of 6 public schools in Sugar City, ID. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Sugar City on the city page.
Is Central Elementary School a good school?
Central Elementary School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Idaho 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 Sugar-Salem Joint District?
Besides Central Elementary School, Sugar-Salem Joint District also operates Sugar-Salem Online (688 students), Sugar-Salem High School (584 students), and Sugar-Salem Junior High School (370 students). See the Sugar-Salem Joint District 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.