Other / mixed grade configuration · Silver Spring, MD

Greencastle Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Greencastle Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240048001510
0/100100/10041/100
👥 S:T ratio
49
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
28
📋 Attendance
16
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Greencastle Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Maryland schools.

#17 of 31
schools in Silver Spring · Resource Index
41
Resource Index · Typical
12.7:1
small classes for Maryland
69.6%
free-lunch eligible

Greencastle Elementary has class sizes smaller than 74% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Greencastle Elementary ranks #17 of 31 schools in Silver Spring, MD.

Enrollment

722

Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

57.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

12.7:1

vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg

-12% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

69.6%

vs 49.0% Maryland avg

+42% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Greencastle Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Greencastle Elementary

Greencastle Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Silver Spring, Maryland, enrolling 722 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 69.6% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 722 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,382 scored Maryland schools.

Against 291 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #89.

Its student body is led by African American (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 51/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 361 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Silver Spring's public schools, it stands alongside Joann Leleck at Broad Acres Elementary (756 students): Greencastle Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (12.7:1 vs 10.8:1).

Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Montgomery Blair High (3,266 students) and Walter Johnson High (3,016 students) alongside Greencastle Elementary.

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 Greencastle Elementary compares

Greencastle Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Maryland Maryland avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 12.7:1 ▼ 12% 14.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 69.6% ▲ 42% 49.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 722 top 28% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
722
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
69.6%
free-lunch eligible - 42% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.7:1
students per teacher - 12% below state mean
Top 26% in Maryland - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
33.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,101
per pupil, district-wide - below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 361 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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

African American 66.2%
Hispanic or Latino 20.6%
Asian 6.8%
White 3.6%
Two or More 2.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Largest group: African American at 66.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 51.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 51.3, Greencastle Elementary is about as mixed as the Maryland school average of 52.3.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montgomery County Public Schools, which includes Greencastle Elementary.

$18,101
Per student
-11%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.0%
State 23.7%
Federal 10.3%

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.

How Greencastle Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Montgomery Blair High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Walter Johnson High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Wheaton High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Gaithersburg High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Seneca Valley High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Greencastle Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Montgomery County Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Silver Spring

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Greencastle Elementary's federal record.

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 Greencastle Elementary

How many students attend Greencastle Elementary?

Greencastle Elementary has 722 students enrolled. It is a public school in Silver Spring, MD.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Greencastle Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Greencastle Elementary is 12.7:1, which is 12% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 19% 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 Greencastle Elementary?

69.6% of students at Greencastle Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Greencastle Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Greencastle Elementary is African American at 66.2% of enrollment, in Silver Spring, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.3/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Greencastle Elementary?

Greencastle Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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 Greencastle Elementary rank among schools in Silver Spring?

By Resource Investment Index, Greencastle Elementary ranks #17 of 31 schools in Silver Spring, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Silver Spring on the city page.

Is Greencastle Elementary a good school?

Greencastle Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Maryland 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 Montgomery County Public Schools?

Besides Greencastle Elementary, Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Montgomery Blair High (3,266 students), Walter Johnson High (3,016 students), and Wheaton High (2,794 students). See the Montgomery County Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.