Enrollment
509
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 180345000471
Helfrich Park Stem Academy — Evansville, IN
Federal NCES profile for Helfrich Park Stem Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 58
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: Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp · Indiana
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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.1%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Helfrich Park Stem Academy compares with Indiana 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
Helfrich Park Stem Academy reports 509 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 2% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 49.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 1% below the Indiana average and 5% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 509 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp spends $13,917 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.7% from local sources (property taxes), 59.0% from the state, and 17.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 Helfrich Park Stem Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.2:1 | ▲ 1% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.1% | ▼ 1% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 509 | top 60% | — | — |
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
49.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 1% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.2:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 61% in Indiana — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,917
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 509 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
55
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 509 Top 60% in Indiana — larger than 40% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 16.2:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 49.1% -1% vs state
NCES ID 180345000471
Student demographics
White 78.8%
Two or More 8.6%
African American 6.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 78.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 509:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.7%
In-school suspensions 55
Out-of-school suspensions 26
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp, which includes Helfrich Park Stem Academy.
$13,917
Per student
-4%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.7%
State 59.0%
Federal 17.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,650
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,332
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,087
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 925
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
Similar middle schools in Evansville
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
North Junior High School
Standard public school
925 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Thompkins Middle School
Standard public school
622 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Plaza Park International Prep Acad
Standard public school
610 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Perry Heights Middle School
Standard public school
471 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Washington Middle School
Standard public school
331 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Mcgary Middle School
Standard public school
295 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 Helfrich Park Stem Academy
How many students attend Helfrich Park Stem Academy?
Helfrich Park Stem Academy has 509 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Evansville, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Helfrich Park Stem Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Helfrich Park Stem Academy is 16.2:1, which is 1% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Helfrich Park Stem Academy?
49.1% of students at Helfrich Park Stem Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Helfrich Park Stem Academy?
The largest demographic group at Helfrich Park Stem Academy is White at 78.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Evansville, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Helfrich Park Stem Academy?
Helfrich Park Stem Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.