Enrollment
526
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 390470101424
Darby Creek Elementary School — Hilliard, OH
Federal NCES profile for Darby Creek Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 82
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: Hilliard City · Ohio
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)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 18.3:1 Ohio avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
18.4%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Darby Creek Elementary School compares with Ohio 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
Darby Creek Elementary School reports 526 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% above the Ohio state mean of 18.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 18.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 42% below the Ohio average and 64% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 848 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hilliard City spends $15,401 per pupil district-wide, below the Ohio average of $16,867 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 64.3% from local sources (property taxes), 25.7% from the state, and 10.0% 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 Darby Creek Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Ohio state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.7:1 | ▲ 2% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 18.4% | ▼ 42% | 31.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 526 | top 71% | — | — |
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
18.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 42% below the Ohio average of 31.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.7:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 63% in Ohio — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$15,401
per pupil, district-wide
— below Ohio avg of $16,867
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.6 FTE
Per 848 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 526 Top 71% in Ohio — larger than 29% of 3,586 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 18.7:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 18.4% -42% vs state
NCES ID 390470101424
Student demographics
White 65.6%
African American 11.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
Asian 7.8%
Two or More 7.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 65.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.6
Students per counselor 848:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.2%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hilliard City, which includes Darby Creek Elementary School.
$15,401
Per student
-9%
vs Ohio
Avg $16,867
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 64.3%
State 25.7%
Federal 10.0%
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
- 1,847
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,712
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,674
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 917
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 797
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Hilliard
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Ridgewood Elementary School
Standard public school
598 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Alton Darby Elementary School
Standard public school
533 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Hilliard Crossing Elementary School
Standard public school
518 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Hilliard Tharp Sixth Grade Elementary School
Standard public school
512 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
J W Reason Elementary School
Standard public school
472 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Hoffman Trails Elementary School
Standard public school
468 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
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 Darby Creek Elementary School
How many students attend Darby Creek Elementary School?
Darby Creek Elementary School has 526 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Hilliard, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Darby Creek Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Darby Creek Elementary School is 18.7:1, which is 2% higher than the Ohio average of 18.3:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Darby Creek Elementary School?
18.4% of students at Darby Creek Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Darby Creek Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Darby Creek Elementary School is White at 65.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hilliard, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Darby Creek Elementary School?
Darby Creek 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.