Enrollment
277
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 317044000946
Central Elementary School — Fairbury, NE
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 60
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 a D Resource Investment Index (44/100), with class sizes near the Nebraska median.
- D
- Resource Index · 44/100
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 46.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 277
- students enrolled
School address
District: Fairbury Public Schools · Nebraska
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
13.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Nebraska avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.9%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Elementary School compares with Nebraska 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 277 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% above the Nebraska state mean of 13.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 52% above the Nebraska average and 9% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 554 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fairbury Public Schools spends $19,059 per pupil district-wide, below the Nebraska average of $20,313 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 74.8% from local sources (property taxes), 12.8% from the state, and 12.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Nebraska state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.9% | ▲ 52% | 30.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 277 | top 57% | — | — |
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)
14 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 61% 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')
277 larger than 29% 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
46.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 52% above the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.8:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 56% in Nebraska — lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$19,059
per pupil, district-wide
— below Nebraska avg of $20,313
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 554 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 277 Top 57% in Nebraska — larger than 43% of 1,010 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 13.8:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.9% +52% vs state
NCES ID 317044000946
Student demographics
White 75.5%
Hispanic or Latino 18.4%
African American 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.8%
Two or More 1.1%
Largest group: White at 75.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 554:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairbury Public Schools, which includes Central Elementary School.
$19,059
Per student
-6%
vs Nebraska
Avg $20,313
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 74.8%
State 12.8%
Federal 12.5%
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
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Enrollment
- 259
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
Similar other schools in Fairbury
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 277 students enrolled. It is a other school in FAIRBURY, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School is 13.8:1, which is 1% higher than the Nebraska average of 13.6:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Elementary School?
46.9% of students at Central Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Central Elementary School is White at 75.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in FAIRBURY, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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.