Enrollment
362
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 240048000809
Cold Spring Elementary — Potomac, MD
Federal NCES profile for Cold Spring Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 89
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: Montgomery County Public Schools · Maryland
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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
4.3%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-91% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cold Spring Elementary compares with Maryland 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
Cold Spring Elementary reports 362 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% above the Maryland state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 4.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 91% below the Maryland average and 92% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 362 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 4.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Montgomery County Public Schools spends $20,473 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $22,498 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 66.0% from local sources (property taxes), 23.7% from the state, and 10.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 Cold Spring Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maryland state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16:1 | ▲ 11% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 4.3% | ▼ 91% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 362 | top 22% | — | — |
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
4.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 91% 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
16:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 72% in Maryland — lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
4.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$20,473
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $22,498
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 362 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 362 Top 22% in Maryland — larger than 78% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 16:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 4.3% -91% vs state
NCES ID 240048000809
Student demographics
White 43.1%
Asian 36.2%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
African American 6.9%
Two or More 5.2%
Largest group: White at 43.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 362:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 4.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montgomery County Public Schools, which includes Cold Spring Elementary.
$20,473
Per student
-9%
vs Maryland
Avg $22,498
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,266
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 3,016
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,794
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,441
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,409
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Potomac
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Cold Spring Elementary
How many students attend Cold Spring Elementary?
Cold Spring Elementary has 362 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Potomac, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cold Spring Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cold Spring Elementary is 16:1, which is 11% higher than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cold Spring Elementary?
4.3% of students at Cold Spring Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cold Spring Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cold Spring Elementary is White at 43.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Potomac, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cold Spring Elementary?
Cold Spring Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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.