Enrollment
549
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 420771005011
East Ward El Sch — Downingtown, PA
Federal NCES profile for East Ward El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 70
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: Downingtown Area Sd · Pennsylvania
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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.6%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How East Ward El Sch compares with Pennsylvania 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
East Ward El Sch reports 549 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% above the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% below the Pennsylvania average and 51% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 549 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Downingtown Area Sd spends $19,123 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 74.9% from local sources (property taxes), 21.1% from the state, and 4.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), 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 East Ward El Sch compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Pennsylvania state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.4:1 | ▲ 14% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.6% | ▼ 56% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 549 | top 64% | — | — |
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
25.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 80% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.0%
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
$19,123
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 549 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 549 Top 64% in Pennsylvania — larger than 36% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 15.4:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.6% -56% vs state
NCES ID 420771005011
Student demographics
White 53.0%
Asian 23.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.7%
Two or More 8.0%
African American 5.8%
Largest group: White at 53.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 549:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.0%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Downingtown Area Sd, which includes East Ward El Sch.
$19,123
Per student
-16%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 74.9%
State 21.1%
Federal 4.0%
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
- 1,796
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,708
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,074
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,066
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,045
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
Similar elementary schools in Downingtown
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Lionville El Sch
Standard public school
668 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
West Bradford El Sch
Standard public school
623 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Uwchlan Hills El Sch
Standard public school
537 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Bradford Hgts El Sch
Standard public school
534 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Beaver Creek El Sch
Standard public school
531 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Brandywine-Wallace El Sch
Standard public school
488 students 15:1 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 East Ward El Sch
How many students attend East Ward El Sch?
East Ward El Sch has 549 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Downingtown, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at East Ward El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at East Ward El Sch is 15.4:1, which is 14% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at East Ward El Sch?
25.6% of students at East Ward El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of East Ward El Sch?
The largest demographic group at East Ward El Sch is White at 53.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Downingtown, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for East Ward El Sch?
East Ward El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) 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.