Enrollment
541
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Damascus, MD
Clearspring Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Clearspring Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240048001514
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Clearspring Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Maryland schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Damascus · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.3:1
- small classes for Maryland
- 37.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Clearspring Elementary has class sizes smaller than 79% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Clearspring Elementary ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Damascus, MD.
School address
District: Montgomery County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240048001514 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.8%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Clearspring Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Clearspring Elementary
Clearspring Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Damascus, Maryland, enrolling 541 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 37.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 541 students, its enrollment sits close to the Maryland median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 285 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #182.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (29%) and White (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 77/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 541 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Damascus's public schools, it stands alongside Lois P. Rockwell Elementary (518 students): Clearspring Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.3:1 vs 14:1).
Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Montgomery Blair High (3,266 students) and Walter Johnson High (3,016 students) alongside Clearspring 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 Clearspring Elementary compares
Clearspring Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 15% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.8% | ▼ 23% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 541 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
541
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 21% in Maryland - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.6%
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
$18,101
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 541 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: 0.4 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 29.4%
White 28.8%
African American 16.8%
Asian 13.1%
Two or More 11.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 29.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 77.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 77.2, Clearspring Elementary is more mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montgomery County Public Schools, which includes Clearspring Elementary.
$18,101
Per student
-11%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.0%
State 23.7%
Federal 10.3%
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 Clearspring Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery Blair High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Walter Johnson High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wheaton High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gaithersburg High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Seneca Valley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Clearspring Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,266
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 3,016
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 2,794
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,441
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 2,409
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar other schools in Damascus
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~541 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Clearspring Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Clearspring Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Montgomery County Public Schools'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 Clearspring Elementary
How many students attend Clearspring Elementary?
Clearspring Elementary has 541 students enrolled. It is a public school in Damascus, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Clearspring Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Clearspring Elementary is 12.3:1, which is 15% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 22% 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 Clearspring Elementary?
37.8% of students at Clearspring Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Clearspring Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Clearspring Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 29.4% of enrollment, in Damascus, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 77.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Clearspring Elementary?
Clearspring Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical 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 Clearspring Elementary rank among public schools in Damascus?
By Resource Investment Index, Clearspring Elementary ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Damascus, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Damascus on the city page.
Is Clearspring Elementary a good school?
Clearspring Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Maryland schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland 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 Montgomery County Public Schools?
Besides Clearspring Elementary, Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Montgomery Blair High (3,266 students), Walter Johnson High (3,016 students), and Wheaton High (2,794 students). See the Montgomery County Public Schools 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.