Enrollment
455
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 420996007270
Fort Cherry El Ctr — Mc Donald, PA
Federal NCES profile for Fort Cherry El Ctr, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 52
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: Fort Cherry 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)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.6%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fort Cherry El Ctr 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
Fort Cherry El Ctr reports 455 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 42.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% below the Pennsylvania average and 18% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 455 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fort Cherry Sd spends $22,583 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 44.1% from local sources (property taxes), 49.6% from the state, and 6.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Fort Cherry El Ctr 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 11% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.6% | ▼ 27% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 455 | 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
42.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% below 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
— 11% below state mean
Top 26% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.1%
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
$22,583
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 455 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 455 Top 50% in Pennsylvania — larger than 50% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 12:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 42.6% -27% vs state
NCES ID 420996007270
Student demographics
White 89.5%
Two or More 6.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
African American 0.4%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 89.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 455:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.1%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 25
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Cherry Sd, which includes Fort Cherry El Ctr.
$22,583
Per student
-1%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 44.1%
State 49.6%
Federal 6.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 457
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Mc Donald
1 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 Fort Cherry El Ctr
How many students attend Fort Cherry El Ctr?
Fort Cherry El Ctr has 455 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Mc Donald, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fort Cherry El Ctr?
The student-teacher ratio at Fort Cherry El Ctr is 12:1, which is 11% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 25% 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 Fort Cherry El Ctr?
42.6% of students at Fort Cherry El Ctr are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fort Cherry El Ctr?
The largest demographic group at Fort Cherry El Ctr is White at 89.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Mc Donald, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fort Cherry El Ctr?
Fort Cherry El Ctr has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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.