Enrollment
428
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Newburg, MD
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240027000610
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 39
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.3:1
- students per teacher
- 33.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 428
- students enrolled
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School has class sizes near the Maryland median. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Charles County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240027000610 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.6%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Newburg, Maryland, enrolling 428 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 428 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 208 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #132.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and African American (16%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 428 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Charles County Public Schools also operates North Point High School (1,960 students) and St. Charles High School (1,617 students) alongside Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School.
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 Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School compares
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.3:1 | ▲ 6% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.6% | ▼ 31% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 428 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
428
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% 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
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 61% in Maryland - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
24.3%
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
$16,671
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 428 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 68.9%
African American 16.4%
Two or More 8.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 68.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.9, Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charles County Public Schools, which includes Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School.
$16,671
Per student
-18%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.0%
State 44.3%
Federal 10.7%
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 Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Point High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| St. Charles High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thomas Stone High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| La Plata High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westlake High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,960
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 1,617
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,230
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,217
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,216
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar other 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 (~428 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Charles 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 Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School
How many students attend Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School?
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School has 428 students enrolled. It is a public school in Newburg, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School is 15.3:1, which is 6% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School?
33.6% of students at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School is White at 68.9% of enrollment, in Newburg, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School?
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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 Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School a good school?
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median. 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 Charles County Public Schools?
Besides Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School, Charles County Public Schools also operates North Point High School (1,960 students), St. Charles High School (1,617 students), and Thomas Stone High School (1,230 students). See the Charles 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.