Enrollment
453
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180825000937
Hickory Center Elementary School — Fort Wayne, IN
Federal NCES profile for Hickory Center Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 92
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: Northwest Allen County Schools · 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.5%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hickory Center 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
Hickory Center Elementary School reports 453 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 22.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 55% below the Indiana average and 57% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 453 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 3.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Northwest Allen County Schools spends $13,212 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.9% from local sources (property taxes), 60.3% from the state, and 7.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), 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 Hickory Center 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 | 14.9:1 | ▼ 7% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.5% | ▼ 55% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 453 | top 51% | — | — |
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
22.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 55% 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
14.9:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 42% in Indiana — lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
3.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,212
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 453 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 453 Top 51% in Indiana — larger than 49% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 14.9:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 22.5% -55% vs state
NCES ID 180825000937
Student demographics
White 73.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.4%
Asian 7.1%
Two or More 5.5%
African American 4.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 73.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 453:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 3.3%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northwest Allen County Schools, which includes Hickory Center Elementary School.
$13,212
Per student
-9%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.9%
State 60.3%
Federal 7.8%
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
- 2,623
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,024
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,004
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Enrollment
- 600
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar other schools in Fort Wayne
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Southwick Elementary School
Standard public school
724 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Harrison Hill Elementary School
Standard public school
612 students 14:1 students per teacher
J Wilbur Haley Elementary School
Standard public school
583 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Forest Park Elementary School
Standard public school
558 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Washington Center Elementary Sch
Standard public school
553 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Northcrest Elementary School
Standard public school
536 students 16.4:1 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 Hickory Center Elementary School
How many students attend Hickory Center Elementary School?
Hickory Center Elementary School has 453 students enrolled. It is a other school in Fort Wayne, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hickory Center Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hickory Center Elementary School is 14.9:1, which is 7% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 6% 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 Hickory Center Elementary School?
22.5% of students at Hickory Center Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hickory Center Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Hickory Center Elementary School is White at 73.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fort Wayne, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hickory Center Elementary School?
Hickory Center Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) 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.