Enrollment
406
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 420576003250
Cheltenham El Sch — Cheltenham, PA
Federal NCES profile for Cheltenham El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 75
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 →
School address
District: Cheltenham Sd · Pennsylvania
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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.4%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cheltenham El Sch compares with Pennsylvania 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
Cheltenham El Sch reports 406 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% below the Pennsylvania average and 3% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 406 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cheltenham Sd spends $28,773 per pupil district-wide, above the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 77.4% from local sources (property taxes), 19.1% from the state, and 3.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), 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 Cheltenham El Sch compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Pennsylvania state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.5:1 | ▼ 7% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.4% | ▼ 13% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 406 | top 40% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
50.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.5:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 33% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
10.1%
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
$28,773
per pupil, district-wide
— above Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 406 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 406 Top 40% in Pennsylvania — larger than 60% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 12.5:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.4% -13% vs state
NCES ID 420576003250
Student demographics
African American 54.7%
Hispanic or Latino 14.5%
White 14.0%
Two or More 10.3%
Asian 6.4%
Largest group: African American at 54.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 406:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cheltenham Sd, which includes Cheltenham El Sch.
$28,773
Per student
+27%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+48%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 77.4%
State 19.1%
Federal 3.6%
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
- 1,450
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 672
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Enrollment
- 569
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 373
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 360
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
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 Cheltenham El Sch
How many students attend Cheltenham El Sch?
Cheltenham El Sch has 406 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Cheltenham, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cheltenham El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Cheltenham El Sch is 12.5:1, which is 7% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cheltenham El Sch?
50.4% of students at Cheltenham El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cheltenham El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Cheltenham El Sch is African American at 54.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cheltenham, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cheltenham El Sch?
Cheltenham El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) 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.