Enrollment
257
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 421524006934
Fink El Sch — Middletown, PA
Federal NCES profile for Fink El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 61
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 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: Middletown 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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.5%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fink 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
Fink El Sch reports 257 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% below the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 38% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 69.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% above the Pennsylvania average and 34% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 257 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Middletown Area Sd spends $21,281 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 57.7% from local sources (property taxes), 31.1% from the state, and 11.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Fink 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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 27% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.5% | ▲ 20% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 257 | top 16% | — | — |
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
69.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% 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
9.8:1
students per teacher
— 27% below state mean
Top 7% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.8%
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
$21,281
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 257 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 257 Top 16% in Pennsylvania — larger than 84% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 9.8:1 -27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 69.5% +20% vs state
NCES ID 421524006934
Student demographics
White 38.1%
Hispanic or Latino 28.4%
African American 16.3%
Asian 9.7%
Two or More 7.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 38.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 257:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.8%
In-school suspensions 8
Out-of-school suspensions 36
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Middletown Area Sd, which includes Fink El Sch.
$21,281
Per student
-6%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 57.7%
State 31.1%
Federal 11.2%
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
- 702
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 369
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Middletown
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Fink El Sch
How many students attend Fink El Sch?
Fink El Sch has 257 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Middletown, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fink El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Fink El Sch is 9.8:1, which is 27% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 38% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fink El Sch?
69.5% of students at Fink El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fink El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Fink El Sch is White at 38.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Middletown, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fink El Sch?
Fink El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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.