Enrollment
633
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 420930002009
Harding Sch — Erie, PA
Federal NCES profile for Harding Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 25
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: Erie City 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)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harding 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
Harding Sch reports 633 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 48.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% 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: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 72% above the Pennsylvania average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 633 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Erie City Sd spends $24,260 per pupil district-wide, above the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.4% from local sources (property taxes), 54.7% from the state, and 19.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), 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 Harding 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 | 12.3:1 | ▼ 9% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 633 | top 74% | — | — |
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
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 72% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
— 9% below state mean
Top 30% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
30.0%
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
$24,260
per pupil, district-wide
— above Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 633 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 60 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 633 Top 74% in Pennsylvania — larger than 26% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 48.0
Students per teacher 12.3:1 -9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +72% vs state
NCES ID 420930002009
Student demographics
White 39.7%
Two or More 26.5%
African American 25.1%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
Asian 3.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 39.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 633:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.0%
In-school suspensions 17
Out-of-school suspensions 60
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Erie City Sd, which includes Harding Sch.
$24,260
Per student
+7%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.4%
State 54.7%
Federal 19.9%
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
- 2,501
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 769
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 750
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 711
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 690
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
Similar other schools in Erie
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Pfeiffer-Burleigh Sch
Standard public school
690 students 10.9:1 students per teacher
Perseus House Cs of Excellence
Standard public school
627 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Belle Valley El Sch
Standard public school
626 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Iroquois Jshs
Standard public school
560 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Grover Cleveland El Sch
Standard public school
559 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Joanna Connell Sch
Standard public school
556 students 13:1 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 Harding Sch
How many students attend Harding Sch?
Harding Sch has 633 students enrolled. It is a other school in Erie, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harding Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Harding Sch is 12.3:1, which is 9% 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 Harding Sch?
100.0% of students at Harding Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harding Sch?
The largest demographic group at Harding Sch is White at 39.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Erie, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harding Sch?
Harding Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) 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.