Enrollment
430
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 180003002329
Deer Ridge Elementary — Fort Wayne, IN
Federal NCES profile for Deer Ridge Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 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: Msd Southwest Allen County Schls · Indiana
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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.5%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-79% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Deer Ridge Elementary compares with Indiana 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
Deer Ridge Elementary reports 430 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 10.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 79% below the Indiana average and 80% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 430 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 4.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Msd Southwest Allen County Schls spends $12,427 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.2% from local sources (property taxes), 60.6% from the state, and 7.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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 Deer Ridge Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.5:1 | ▲ 9% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.5% | ▼ 79% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 430 | top 45% | — | — |
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
10.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 79% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 76% in Indiana — lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
4.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,427
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 430 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 430 Top 45% in Indiana — larger than 55% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 10.5% -79% vs state
NCES ID 180003002329
Student demographics
White 76.0%
Two or More 6.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.8%
Asian 5.6%
African American 5.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 76.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 430:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 4.2%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Msd Southwest Allen County Schls, which includes Deer Ridge Elementary.
$12,427
Per student
-15%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.2%
State 60.6%
Federal 7.2%
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
- 2,382
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,032
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 789
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 746
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Fort Wayne
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Prince Chapman Academy
Standard public school
819 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Cedarville Elementary School
Standard public school
764 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Covington Elementary School
Standard public school
746 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Weisser Park Elementary School
Standard public school
632 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Fred H Croninger Elementary School
Standard public school
619 students 20:1 students per teacher
Jeff H Towles Intermediate School
Standard public school
600 students 13.4:1 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 Deer Ridge Elementary
How many students attend Deer Ridge Elementary?
Deer Ridge Elementary has 430 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Fort Wayne, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Deer Ridge Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Deer Ridge Elementary is 17.5:1, which is 9% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Deer Ridge Elementary?
10.5% of students at Deer Ridge Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Deer Ridge Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Deer Ridge Elementary is White at 76.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fort Wayne, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Deer Ridge Elementary?
Deer Ridge Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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.