Enrollment
304
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 421611000249
Foster El Sch — Pittsburgh, PA
Federal NCES profile for Foster El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 91
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: Mt Lebanon 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.5%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-80% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Foster 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
Foster El Sch reports 304 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 11.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 80% below the Pennsylvania average and 78% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 507 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 3.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mt Lebanon Sd spends $19,806 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 72.2% from local sources (property taxes), 21.7% from the state, and 6.1% 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 Foster 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 | 13.7:1 | ▲ 1% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.5% | ▼ 80% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 304 | top 23% | — | — |
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
11.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 80% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 54% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
3.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$19,806
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
Counselors0.6 FTE
Per 507 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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: 0.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 304 Top 23% in Pennsylvania — larger than 77% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 13.7:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 11.5% -80% vs state
NCES ID 421611000249
Student demographics
White 76.6%
Asian 9.9%
Two or More 6.3%
Hispanic or Latino 4.3%
African American 2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
Largest group: White at 76.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.6
Students per counselor 507:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 3.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mt Lebanon Sd, which includes Foster El Sch.
$19,806
Per student
-13%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 72.2%
State 21.7%
Federal 6.1%
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
- 1,772
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 661
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Enrollment
- 416
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 414
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Pittsburgh
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Penn Hills El Sch
Standard public school
1,228 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Mcknight El Sch
Standard public school
875 students 14:1 students per teacher
Chartiers Valley Intrmd School
Standard public school
801 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Pittsburgh Colfax K-8
Standard public school
789 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Ohara El Sch
Standard public school
726 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
J.E. Harrison Education Ctr
Standard public school
716 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
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 Foster El Sch
How many students attend Foster El Sch?
Foster El Sch has 304 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Pittsburgh, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Foster El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Foster El Sch is 13.7:1, which is 1% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Foster El Sch?
11.5% of students at Foster El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Foster El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Foster El Sch is White at 76.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Pittsburgh, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Foster El Sch?
Foster El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) 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.