Enrollment
325
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Johnstown, PA
Ferndale El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Ferndale El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 420975001223
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ferndale El Sch earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #4 of 9
- schools in Johnstown · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 99.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Ferndale El Sch has class sizes smaller than 72% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ferndale El Sch ranks #4 of 9 schools in Johnstown, PA.
School address
District: Ferndale Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420975001223 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.3%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ferndale El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ferndale El Sch
Ferndale El Sch is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, enrolling 325 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 99.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 325 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 433 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #108.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 163 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Johnstown's public schools, it stands alongside Greater Johnstown El Sch (1,133 students): Ferndale El Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12:1 vs 15.7:1).
Its district, Ferndale Area Sd, also runs Ferndale Area Jshs (284 students).
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 Ferndale El Sch compares
Ferndale El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12:1 | ▼ 12% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.3% | ▲ 71% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 325 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
325
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.3%
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
12:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 28% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.5%
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
$19,959
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 163 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.4 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 66.8%
African American 16.9%
Two or More 9.8%
Hispanic or Latino 6.2%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 66.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.2, Ferndale El Sch is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ferndale Area Sd, which includes Ferndale El Sch.
$19,959
Per student
+11%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.8%
State 66.7%
Federal 10.5%
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 Ferndale El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferndale Area Jshs | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ferndale El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 284
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar other schools in Johnstown
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Greater Johnstown El Sch
Standard public school
1,133 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Greater Johnstown Shs
Standard public school
917 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Richland Hs
Standard public school
693 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Westmont Hilltop Jshs
Standard public school
689 students 13:1 students per teacher
Conemaugh Valley El Sch
Standard public school
374 students 9.6:1 students per teacher
Conemaugh Valley Jshs
Standard public school
308 students 9.1:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~325 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ferndale El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Ferndale El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Ferndale Area Sd'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 Ferndale El Sch
How many students attend Ferndale El Sch?
Ferndale El Sch has 325 students enrolled. It is a public school in Johnstown, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ferndale El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Ferndale El Sch is 12:1, which is 12% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 24% 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 Ferndale El Sch?
99.3% of students at Ferndale El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ferndale El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Ferndale El Sch is White at 66.8% of enrollment, in Johnstown, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ferndale El Sch?
Ferndale El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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).
How does Ferndale El Sch rank among schools in Johnstown?
By Resource Investment Index, Ferndale El Sch ranks #4 of 9 schools in Johnstown, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Johnstown on the city page.
Is Ferndale El Sch a good school?
Ferndale El Sch earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Pennsylvania 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 Ferndale Area Sd?
Besides Ferndale El Sch, Ferndale Area Sd also operates Ferndale Area Jshs (284 students). See the Ferndale Area Sd 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.