Enrollment
141
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 316984000912
Dorchester Elementary School — Dorchester, NE
Federal NCES profile for Dorchester Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 70/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 95
📋 Attendance 65
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: Dorchester Public School · Nebraska
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)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 13.6:1 Nebraska avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.3%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dorchester Elementary School compares with Nebraska 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
Dorchester Elementary School reports 141 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% below the Nebraska state mean of 13.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 8% above the Nebraska average and 36% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 26 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dorchester Public School spends $17,840 per pupil district-wide, below the Nebraska average of $20,313 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.5% from local sources (property taxes), 21.4% from the state, and 10.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 70/100 (B), 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 Dorchester Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Nebraska state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12:1 | ▼ 12% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.3% | ▲ 8% | 30.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 141 | top 32% | — | — |
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
33.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 8% above the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12:1
students per teacher
— 12% below state mean
Top 38% in Nebraska — lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$17,840
per pupil, district-wide
— below Nebraska avg of $20,313
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.5 FTE
Per 26 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 141 Top 32% in Nebraska — larger than 68% of 1,010 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 12:1 -12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.3% +8% vs state
NCES ID 316984000912
Student demographics
White 66.0%
Hispanic or Latino 32.6%
Two or More 1.4%
Largest group: White at 66.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.5
Students per counselor 26:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dorchester Public School, which includes Dorchester Elementary School.
$17,840
Per student
-12%
vs Nebraska
Avg $20,313
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.5%
State 21.4%
Federal 10.1%
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
- 89
- Students per teacher
- 9.1:1
Similar other schools in Dorchester
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Dorchester Elementary School
How many students attend Dorchester Elementary School?
Dorchester Elementary School has 141 students enrolled. It is a other school in DORCHESTER, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dorchester Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dorchester Elementary School is 12:1, which is 12% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.6:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dorchester Elementary School?
33.3% of students at Dorchester Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dorchester Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Dorchester Elementary School is White at 66.0%. The school serves a student body in DORCHESTER, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dorchester Elementary School?
Dorchester Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 70/100 (B) 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.