Enrollment
276
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Gaithersburg, MD
Dufief Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Dufief Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 240048000819
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 63
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dufief Elementary earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Maryland schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools.
- #1 of 5
- elementary schools in Gaithersburg · Resource Index
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.9:1
- small classes for Maryland
- 16.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Dufief Elementary has class sizes smaller than 94% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dufief Elementary ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Gaithersburg, MD.
School address
District: Montgomery County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240048000819 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.9:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
-32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.3%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dufief Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dufief Elementary
Dufief Elementary is a lower-poverty, small elementary school in Gaithersburg, Maryland, enrolling 276 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.9:1, Dufief Elementary is leaner than roughly 94% of Maryland schools and 32% under the state's 14.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 16.3% free-meal eligibility runs 67% below the Maryland average.
Enrollment of 276 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 1,382 Maryland schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 49 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Maryland schools statewide, it ranks #5, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (31%) and Asian (28%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 77/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 276 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Gaithersburg's elementary schools, it stands alongside Diamond Elementary (654 students): Dufief Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.9:1 vs 13.6:1).
Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Montgomery Blair High (3,266 students) and Walter Johnson High (3,016 students) alongside Dufief 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 Dufief Elementary compares
Dufief 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 | 9.9:1 | ▼ 32% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.3% | ▼ 67% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 276 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.9:1
Leaner classes than 89% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
276
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 67% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9.9:1
students per teacher
- 32% below state mean
Top 6% in Maryland - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
14.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$18,101
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 276 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
- 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 30.8%
Asian 27.9%
African American 16.7%
Hispanic or Latino 14.5%
Two or More 10.1%
Largest group: White at 30.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 76.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 76.8, Dufief Elementary is more mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montgomery County Public Schools, which includes Dufief Elementary.
$18,101
Per student
-11%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.0%
State 23.7%
Federal 10.3%
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 Dufief Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery Blair High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Walter Johnson High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wheaton High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gaithersburg High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Seneca Valley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dufief Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,266
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 3,016
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 2,794
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,441
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 2,409
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar elementary schools in Gaithersburg
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Diamond Elementary
Standard public school
654 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Jones Lane Elementary
Standard public school
428 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Darnestown Elementary
Standard public school
356 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Laytonsville Elementary
Standard public school
355 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
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 (~276 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dufief Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Dufief Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Montgomery 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 Dufief Elementary
How many students attend Dufief Elementary?
Dufief Elementary has 276 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Gaithersburg, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dufief Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Dufief Elementary is 9.9:1, which is 32% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 37% 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 Dufief Elementary?
16.3% of students at Dufief Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dufief Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Dufief Elementary is White at 30.8% of enrollment, in Gaithersburg, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 76.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dufief Elementary?
Dufief Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (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).
How does Dufief Elementary rank among elementary schools in Gaithersburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Dufief Elementary ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Gaithersburg, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Gaithersburg on the city page.
Is Dufief Elementary a good school?
Dufief Elementary earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Maryland schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland 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 Montgomery County Public Schools?
Besides Dufief Elementary, Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Montgomery Blair High (3,266 students), Walter Johnson High (3,016 students), and Wheaton High (2,794 students). See the Montgomery 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.