Enrollment
538
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 181134001826
Hershey Elementary School — Lafayette, IN
Federal NCES profile for Hershey Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 59/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 77
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: Tippecanoe 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
17.6:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.6%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hershey Elementary School 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
Hershey Elementary School reports 538 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% 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 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 19.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 60% below the Indiana average and 62% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tippecanoe School Corp spends $13,986 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.4% from local sources (property taxes), 62.3% from the state, and 6.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (C), calculated from 3 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 Elementary School 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 | 17.6:1 | ▲ 9% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.6% | ▼ 60% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 538 | top 64% | — | — |
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
19.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 60% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.6:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 77% in Indiana — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,986
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 538 Top 64% in Indiana — larger than 36% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 17.6:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 19.6% -60% vs state
NCES ID 181134001826
Student demographics
White 86.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.4%
Two or More 4.5%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 86.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.3%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tippecanoe School Corp, which includes Hershey Elementary School.
$13,986
Per student
-4%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.4%
State 62.3%
Federal 6.3%
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
- 2,194
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,835
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 905
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 778
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 712
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Lafayette
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Lafayette Sunnyside Intermediate
Standard public school
1,031 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Wea Ridge Elementary School
Standard public school
609 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Woodland Elementary School
Standard public school
601 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Mayflower Mill Elementary School
Standard public school
585 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Wyandotte Elementary
Standard public school
522 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Amelia Earhart Elementary School
Standard public school
455 students 15:1 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 Hershey Elementary School
How many students attend Hershey Elementary School?
Hershey Elementary School has 538 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Lafayette, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hershey Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hershey Elementary School is 17.6:1, which is 9% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hershey Elementary School?
19.6% of students at Hershey Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hershey Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Hershey Elementary School is White at 86.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lafayette, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hershey Elementary School?
Hershey Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (C) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.