Enrollment
310
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Vandalia, OH
Helke Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Helke Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 390449501877
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 54
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Helke Elementary School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio median.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Vandalia · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.5:1
- students per teacher
- 30.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Helke Elementary School has class sizes near the Ohio median. Computed live against every Ohio school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Helke Elementary School ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Vandalia, OH.
School address
District: Vandalia-Butler City · Ohio
NCES ID 390449501877 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 18.2:1 Ohio avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.5%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Helke Elementary School compares with Ohio and U.S. medians
What stands out at Helke Elementary School
Helke Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Vandalia, Ohio, enrolling 310 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Ohio schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 30.5% lands close to the Ohio typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 310 puts it in the smaller third of Ohio schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 3,574 Ohio schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 523 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Ohio schools statewide, it ranks #51, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Two or More (12%) (diversity index 47/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 15.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Vandalia's elementary schools, it stands alongside Demmitt Elementary School (373 students): Helke Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.5:1 vs 19.6:1).
Vandalia-Butler City also operates Butler High School (856 students) and Morton Middle School (699 students) alongside Helke Elementary School.
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 Helke Elementary School compares
Helke Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Ohio and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.5:1 | ▼ 15% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.5% | ▼ 3% | 31.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 310 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
310
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% below the Ohio average of 31.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 32% in Ohio - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
18.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,398
per pupil, district-wide
- below Ohio avg of $14,655
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 70.6%
Two or More 11.6%
African American 10.3%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
Asian 1.3%
Largest group: White at 70.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.4, Helke Elementary School is more mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vandalia-Butler City, which includes Helke Elementary School.
$14,398
Per student
-2%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.7%
State 18.1%
Federal 15.2%
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.
How Helke Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Morton Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Smith Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Demmitt Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Vandalia-Butler Preschool | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Helke Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 856
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 699
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 642
- Students per teacher
- 25.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 373
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 101
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
Similar elementary schools in Vandalia
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Ohio, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~310 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Helke Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Helke Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Vandalia-Butler City'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 Helke Elementary School
How many students attend Helke Elementary School?
Helke Elementary School has 310 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Vandalia, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Helke Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Helke Elementary School is 15.5:1, which is 15% lower than the Ohio average of 18.2:1 and 1% 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 Helke Elementary School?
30.5% of students at Helke Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Helke Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Helke Elementary School is White at 70.6% of enrollment, in Vandalia, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Helke Elementary School?
Helke Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Helke Elementary School rank among public schools in Vandalia?
By Resource Investment Index, Helke Elementary School ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Vandalia, OH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Vandalia on the city page.
Is Helke Elementary School a good school?
Helke Elementary School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio 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 Vandalia-Butler City?
Besides Helke Elementary School, Vandalia-Butler City also operates Butler High School (856 students), Morton Middle School (699 students), and Smith Middle School (642 students). See the Vandalia-Butler City 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.