Enrollment
657
Rhode Island · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Newport, RI
Claiborne Pell Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Claiborne Pell Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 440072000485
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Claiborne Pell Elementary earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 93% of Rhode Island schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Rhode Island schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Newport · Resource Index
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 10:1
- small classes for Rhode Island
- 63.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Claiborne Pell Elementary has class sizes smaller than 93% of Rhode Island schools. Computed live against every Rhode Island school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Claiborne Pell Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Newport, RI.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
66.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10:1
vs 13.8:1 Rhode Island avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.0%
vs 39.6% Rhode Island avg
+59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Claiborne Pell Elementary compares with Rhode Island and U.S. medians
What stands out at Claiborne Pell Elementary
Claiborne Pell Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Newport, Rhode Island, enrolling 657 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10:1, Claiborne Pell Elementary is leaner than roughly 93% of Rhode Island schools and 28% under the state's 13.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 63.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 657 puts it in the larger third of Rhode Island schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% of the 308 Rhode Island schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Against 40 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #29.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (43%) and White (33%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 657 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Newport spends $24,290 per pupil, 20% above the Rhode Island average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 16.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Newport also operates Rogers High School (599 students) and Frank E. Thompson Middle (499 students) alongside Claiborne Pell Elementary.
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 Claiborne Pell Elementary compares
Claiborne Pell Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Rhode Island and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Rhode Island | Rhode Island avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10:1 | ▼ 28% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.0% | ▲ 59% | 39.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 657 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10:1
Leaner classes than 89% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
657
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% above the Rhode Island average of 39.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 7% in Rhode Island - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
52.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$24,290
per pupil, district-wide
- above Rhode Island avg of $20,315
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 657 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 17 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
Hispanic or Latino 42.8%
White 32.6%
Two or More 11.6%
African American 9.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.9%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 42.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.7, Claiborne Pell Elementary is more mixed than the Rhode Island school average of 47.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Newport, which includes Claiborne Pell Elementary.
$24,290
Per student
+20%
vs Rhode Island
Avg $20,315
+46%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.5%
State 31.8%
Federal 16.7%
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 Claiborne Pell Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rogers High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Frank E. Thompson Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Claiborne Pell Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 599
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 499
- Students per teacher
- 8.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Rhode Island, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~657 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Claiborne Pell Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Claiborne Pell Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Newport'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 Claiborne Pell Elementary
How many students attend Claiborne Pell Elementary?
Claiborne Pell Elementary has 657 students enrolled. It is a public school in Newport, RI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Claiborne Pell Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Claiborne Pell Elementary is 10:1, which is 28% lower than the Rhode Island average of 13.8:1 and 36% 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 Claiborne Pell Elementary?
63.0% of students at Claiborne Pell Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Rhode Island average of 39.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Claiborne Pell Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Claiborne Pell Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 42.8% of enrollment, in Newport, RI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Claiborne Pell Elementary?
Claiborne Pell Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower 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 Claiborne Pell Elementary rank among public schools in Newport?
By Resource Investment Index, Claiborne Pell Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Newport, RI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Newport on the city page.
Is Claiborne Pell Elementary a good school?
Claiborne Pell Elementary earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 93% of Rhode Island schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Rhode Island 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 Newport?
Besides Claiborne Pell Elementary, Newport also operates Rogers High School (599 students) and Frank E. Thompson Middle (499 students). See the Newport 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.