Enrollment
297
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Ephrata, PA
Fulton El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Fulton El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420927007268
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fulton El Sch earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Ephrata · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.9:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 53.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Fulton El Sch has class sizes smaller than 73% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fulton El Sch ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Ephrata, PA.
School address
District: Ephrata Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420927007268 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.8%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fulton El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fulton El Sch
Fulton El Sch is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, enrolling 297 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 53.8% lands close to the Pennsylvania typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 297 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 339 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #69.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 297 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
16.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Ephrata's elementary schools, it stands alongside Ephrata Intermediate Sch (568 students): Fulton El Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.9:1 vs 13.9:1).
Ephrata Area Sd also operates Ephrata Shs (1,347 students) and Ephrata Ms (601 students) alongside Fulton El Sch.
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 Fulton El Sch compares
Fulton 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.8% | ▼ 7% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 297 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
297
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 27% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
16.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$16,676
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 297 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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 67.0%
Hispanic or Latino 20.2%
Two or More 7.7%
Asian 3.4%
African American 1.7%
Largest group: White at 67.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.3, Fulton El Sch is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ephrata Area Sd, which includes Fulton El Sch.
$16,676
Per student
-7%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.7%
State 29.0%
Federal 7.2%
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.
How Fulton El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ephrata Shs | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ephrata Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ephrata Intermediate Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Highland El Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clay El Sch | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fulton El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,347
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 601
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 568
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar elementary schools in Ephrata
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~297 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fulton El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Fulton El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Ephrata 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 Fulton El Sch
How many students attend Fulton El Sch?
Fulton El Sch has 297 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Ephrata, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fulton El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Fulton El Sch is 11.9:1, 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 Fulton El Sch?
53.8% of students at Fulton El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fulton El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Fulton El Sch is White at 67.0% of enrollment, in Ephrata, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fulton El Sch?
Fulton El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher 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 Fulton El Sch rank among elementary schools in Ephrata?
By Resource Investment Index, Fulton El Sch ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Ephrata, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Ephrata on the city page.
Is Fulton El Sch a good school?
Fulton El Sch earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Ephrata Area Sd?
Besides Fulton El Sch, Ephrata Area Sd also operates Ephrata Shs (1,347 students), Ephrata Ms (601 students), and Ephrata Intermediate Sch (568 students). See the Ephrata 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.