Enrollment
96
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Darlington, MD
Darlington Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Darlington Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 69/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 240039000685
👥 S:T ratio 68
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 81
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Darlington Elementary earns 69/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Maryland schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Maryland.
- 69
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8:1
- small classes for Maryland
- 28.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 96
- students enrolled
Darlington Elementary has class sizes smaller than 96% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Harford County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240039000685 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
-45% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.7%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Darlington Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Darlington Elementary
Darlington Elementary is a small elementary school in Darlington, Maryland, enrolling 96 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8:1, Darlington Elementary is leaner than roughly 96% of Maryland schools and 45% under the state's 14.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.7% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 97% of Maryland schools, with 96 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 1,382 Maryland schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 96 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
17.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Harford County Public Schools spends $15,192 per pupil, 26% below the Maryland average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Harford County Public Schools also operates Edgewood High (1,440 students) and Aberdeen High (1,396 students) alongside Darlington 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 Darlington Elementary compares
Darlington 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 | 8:1 | ▼ 45% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.7% | ▼ 41% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 96 | top 97% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
96
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% 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
8:1
students per teacher
- 45% below state mean
Top 4% in Maryland - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,192
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 96 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: 2.1 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
White 86.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
Two or More 4.2%
African American 2.1%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: White at 86.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.6, Darlington Elementary is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harford County Public Schools, which includes Darlington Elementary.
$15,192
Per student
-26%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 35.4%
Federal 12.0%
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.
How Darlington Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgewood High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Aberdeen High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bel Air High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| C. Milton Wright High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Harford High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Darlington Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,440
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,396
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 1,341
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,291
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,204
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar elementary 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 (~96 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Darlington Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Darlington Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Harford 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 Darlington Elementary
How many students attend Darlington Elementary?
Darlington Elementary has 96 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Darlington, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Darlington Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Darlington Elementary is 8:1, which is 45% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 49% 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 Darlington Elementary?
28.7% of students at Darlington Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Darlington Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Darlington Elementary is White at 86.5% of enrollment, in Darlington, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Darlington Elementary?
Darlington Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 69/100 (higher 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).
Is Darlington Elementary a good school?
Darlington Elementary earns 69/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Maryland schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Maryland. 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 Harford County Public Schools?
Besides Darlington Elementary, Harford County Public Schools also operates Edgewood High (1,440 students), Aberdeen High (1,396 students), and Bel Air High (1,341 students). See the Harford 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.