Enrollment
838
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 422630006923
Heights/Murray El Sch — Wilkes Barre, PA
Federal NCES profile for Heights/Murray El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 14/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
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: Wilkes-Barre Area 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)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heights/Murray 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
Heights/Murray El Sch reports 838 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 44.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 41% 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 19% higher, 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 838 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 51.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Wilkes-Barre Area Sd spends $20,898 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.8% from local sources (property taxes), 37.4% from the state, and 16.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 14/100 (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 Heights/Murray 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 | 19:1 | ▲ 41% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 838 | top 86% | — | — |
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
19:1
students per teacher
— 41% above state mean
Top 97% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
51.2%
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
$20,898
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 838 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 59 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 838 Top 86% in Pennsylvania — larger than 14% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 44.0
Students per teacher 19:1 +41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +72% vs state
NCES ID 422630006923
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 60.4%
African American 18.0%
White 11.3%
Two or More 9.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 838:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 51.2%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 59
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wilkes-Barre Area Sd, which includes Heights/Murray El Sch.
$20,898
Per student
-8%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 45.8%
State 37.4%
Federal 16.8%
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
- 2,569
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,101
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 961
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 758
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 718
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Wilkes Barre
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Heights/Murray El Sch
How many students attend Heights/Murray El Sch?
Heights/Murray El Sch has 838 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Wilkes Barre, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heights/Murray El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Heights/Murray El Sch is 19:1, which is 41% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heights/Murray El Sch?
100.0% of students at Heights/Murray El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heights/Murray El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Heights/Murray El Sch is Hispanic or Latino at 60.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Wilkes Barre, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heights/Murray El Sch?
Heights/Murray El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 14/100 (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.