Enrollment
456
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 420244000629
Economy El Sch — Freedom, PA
Federal NCES profile for Economy El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 51
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: Ambridge 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.6%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Economy 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
Economy El Sch reports 456 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 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: 99.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 71% above the Pennsylvania average and 92% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ambridge Area Sd spends $20,404 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.7% from local sources (property taxes), 39.9% from the state, and 11.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), calculated from 3 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 Economy 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 | 99.6% | ▲ 71% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 456 | top 50% | — | — |
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
99.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 71% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
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
19.7%
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
$20,404
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 456 Top 50% in Pennsylvania — larger than 50% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 15.4:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 99.6% +71% vs state
NCES ID 420244000629
Student demographics
White 87.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
African American 3.9%
Two or More 2.6%
Largest group: White at 87.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ambridge Area Sd, which includes Economy El Sch.
$20,404
Per student
-10%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 48.7%
State 39.9%
Federal 11.4%
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
- 705
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 500
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 284
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 241
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
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 Economy El Sch
How many students attend Economy El Sch?
Economy El Sch has 456 students enrolled. It is a other school in Freedom, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Economy El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Economy 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 Economy El Sch?
99.6% of students at Economy El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Economy El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Economy El Sch is White at 87.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Freedom, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Economy El Sch?
Economy El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.