Enrollment
263
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Halifax, PA
Halifax Area Ms
Federal NCES profile for Halifax Area Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 421131006331
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Halifax Area Ms earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Halifax · Resource Index
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.5:1
- students per teacher
- 31.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Halifax Area Ms has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Halifax Area Ms ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Halifax, PA.
School address
District: Halifax Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421131006331 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.1%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Halifax Area Ms compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Halifax Area Ms
Halifax Area Ms is a mid-sized elementary school in Halifax, Pennsylvania, enrolling 263 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 31.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 263 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 90% of the 2,889 Pennsylvania schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 248 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #43.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 263 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
12.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Halifax Area Sd also operates Halifax Area El Sch (349 students) and Halifax Area Hs (234 students) alongside Halifax Area Ms.
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 Halifax Area Ms compares
Halifax Area Ms on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.5:1 | ▼ 8% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.1% | ▼ 46% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 263 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
263
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 36% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
12.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$19,577
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 263 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.5 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 85.2%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
Two or More 5.3%
African American 3.0%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 85.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.7, Halifax Area Ms is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Halifax Area Sd, which includes Halifax Area Ms.
$19,577
Per student
+9%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.3%
State 46.6%
Federal 9.1%
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.
How Halifax Area Ms Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax Area El Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Halifax Area Hs | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Halifax Area Ms's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 349
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 234
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~263 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Halifax Area Ms's federal record.
- Compare Halifax Area Ms against another school. Compare schools
- Halifax 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 Halifax Area Ms
How many students attend Halifax Area Ms?
Halifax Area Ms has 263 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Halifax, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Halifax Area Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Halifax Area Ms is 12.5:1, which is 8% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 20% 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 Halifax Area Ms?
31.1% of students at Halifax Area Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Halifax Area Ms?
The largest demographic group at Halifax Area Ms is White at 85.2% of enrollment, in Halifax, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Halifax Area Ms?
Halifax Area Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (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 Halifax Area Ms rank among public schools in Halifax?
By Resource Investment Index, Halifax Area Ms ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Halifax, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Halifax on the city page.
Is Halifax Area Ms a good school?
Halifax Area Ms earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. 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 Halifax Area Sd?
Besides Halifax Area Ms, Halifax Area Sd also operates Halifax Area El Sch (349 students) and Halifax Area Hs (234 students). See the Halifax 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.