Enrollment
457
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 420996004242
Fort Cherry Jshs — Mc Donald, PA
Federal NCES profile for Fort Cherry Jshs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 34
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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.2%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fort Cherry Jshs 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 Jshs reports 457 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the Pennsylvania average and 34% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 229 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.3% 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 52/100 (C-), 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 Jshs 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 10% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.2% | ▼ 41% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 457 | 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
34.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
12.2:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 29% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
26.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 229 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
33
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 457 Top 50% in Pennsylvania — larger than 50% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 12.2:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.2% -41% vs state
NCES ID 420996004242
Student demographics
White 89.9%
Two or More 6.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.4%
African American 1.3%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 89.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 229:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.3%
In-school suspensions 33
Out-of-school suspensions 26
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Cherry Sd, which includes Fort Cherry Jshs.
$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
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
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 Fort Cherry Jshs
How many students attend Fort Cherry Jshs?
Fort Cherry Jshs has 457 students enrolled. It is a other school in Mc Donald, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fort Cherry Jshs?
The student-teacher ratio at Fort Cherry Jshs is 12.2:1, which is 10% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 23% 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 Jshs?
34.2% of students at Fort Cherry Jshs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fort Cherry Jshs?
The largest demographic group at Fort Cherry Jshs is White at 89.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Mc Donald, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fort Cherry Jshs?
Fort Cherry Jshs has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.