Enrollment
420
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 420759000667
Hershey Early Childhood Ctr — Hershey, PA
Federal NCES profile for Hershey Early Childhood Ctr, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 47
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: Derry Township 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.3%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hershey Early Childhood Ctr 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
Hershey Early Childhood Ctr reports 420 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% 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 27% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 16.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 72% below the Pennsylvania average and 69% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 420 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Derry Township Sd spends $20,338 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 73.9% from local sources (property taxes), 18.8% from the state, and 7.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Hershey Early Childhood Ctr 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 | 11.6:1 | ▼ 14% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.3% | ▼ 72% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 420 | top 43% | — | — |
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
16.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 72% 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
11.6:1
students per teacher
— 14% below state mean
Top 21% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
21.2%
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
$20,338
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 420 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 420 Top 43% in Pennsylvania — larger than 57% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 11.6:1 -14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 16.3% -72% vs state
NCES ID 420759000667
Student demographics
White 61.0%
Asian 12.6%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
Two or More 9.5%
African American 6.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 61.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 420:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Derry Township Sd, which includes Hershey Early Childhood Ctr.
$20,338
Per student
-11%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 73.9%
State 18.8%
Federal 7.3%
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
- 1,050
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 742
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 479
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Enrollment
- 427
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
Similar elementary schools in Hershey
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 Hershey Early Childhood Ctr
How many students attend Hershey Early Childhood Ctr?
Hershey Early Childhood Ctr has 420 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Hershey, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hershey Early Childhood Ctr?
The student-teacher ratio at Hershey Early Childhood Ctr is 11.6:1, which is 14% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 27% 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 Hershey Early Childhood Ctr?
16.3% of students at Hershey Early Childhood Ctr are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hershey Early Childhood Ctr?
The largest demographic group at Hershey Early Childhood Ctr is White at 61.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hershey, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hershey Early Childhood Ctr?
Hershey Early Childhood Ctr has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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.