Enrollment
950
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Dayton, OH
Deca Prep
Federal NCES profile for Deca Prep, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 390150805714Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 10
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Deca Prep earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 73% of Ohio schools.
- #29 of 31
- elementary schools in Dayton · Resource Index
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.8:1
- small classes for Ohio
- 39.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Deca Prep has class sizes smaller than 73% of Ohio schools. Computed live against every Ohio school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Deca Prep ranks #29 of 31 elementary schools in Dayton, OH.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 18.2:1 Ohio avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.5%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Deca Prep compares with Ohio and U.S. medians
What stands out at Deca Prep
Deca Prep is a large charter elementary school in Dayton, Ohio, enrolling 950 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Ohio schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 39.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Ohio, bigger than 93% of state schools at 950 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 3,574 Ohio schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 281 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Ohio schools statewide, it ranks #262, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 11/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 950 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 13 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Dayton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Pathway School of Discovery (843 students): Deca Prep is larger than that campus by headcount.
Deca Prep is a single-school charter district, so Deca Prep operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Deca Prep compares
Deca Prep on the metrics families compare, against Ohio and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▼ 19% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.5% | ▲ 25% | 31.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 950 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
950
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% above the Ohio average of 31.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 27% in Ohio - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
36.1%
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
$12,248
per pupil, district-wide
- below Ohio avg of $14,655
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 950 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 147 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 13 expulsions.
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
African American 94.3%
Two or More 3.1%
Hispanic or Latino 1.7%
White 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 94.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.9, Deca Prep is less mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Deca Prep, which includes Deca Prep.
$12,248
Per student
-16%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.5%
State 81.1%
Federal 17.4%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Dayton
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Pathway School of Discovery
Standard public school
843 students
Emerson Academy
Standard public school
674 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Smith Middle School
Standard public school
642 students 25.7:1 students per teacher
North Dayton School of Science & Discovery
Standard public school
586 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Dayton Leadership Academies-Dayton View Campus
Standard public school
552 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Klepinger Community School
Standard public school
540 students 60:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Ohio, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~950 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Deca Prep's federal record.
- Compare Deca Prep against another school. Compare schools
- Deca Prep'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 Deca Prep
How many students attend Deca Prep?
Deca Prep has 950 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Dayton, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Deca Prep?
The student-teacher ratio at Deca Prep is 14.8:1, which is 19% lower than the Ohio average of 18.2:1 and 6% 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 Deca Prep?
39.5% of students at Deca Prep are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Deca Prep?
The largest demographic group at Deca Prep is African American at 94.3% of enrollment, in Dayton, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Deca Prep?
Deca Prep has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (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 Deca Prep rank among elementary schools in Dayton?
By Resource Investment Index, Deca Prep ranks #29 of 31 elementary schools in Dayton, OH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Dayton on the city page.
Is Deca Prep a good school?
Deca Prep earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 73% of Ohio 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 Deca Prep?
None; Deca Prep is a single-school charter district, and Deca Prep is its only campus.
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.