Enrollment
272
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 420004200404 Charter school
Inquiry Cs — Philadelphia, PA
Federal NCES profile for Inquiry Cs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 59
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 63
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: Inquiry Cs · 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Inquiry Cs 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
Inquiry Cs reports 272 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% 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 35% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 72% above the Pennsylvania average and 93% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Inquiry Cs spends $23,087 per pupil district-wide, above the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 63.9% from local sources (property taxes), 0.8% from the state, and 35.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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 Inquiry Cs 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 | 10.3:1 | ▼ 24% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 272 | top 18% | — | — |
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
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 72% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher
— 24% below state mean
Top 9% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.7%
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
$23,087
per pupil, district-wide
— above Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
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
Enrollment 272 Top 18% in Pennsylvania — larger than 82% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 10.3:1 -24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +72% vs state
NCES ID 420004200404
Student demographics
African American 84.9%
Two or More 8.8%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
White 1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 84.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Inquiry Cs, which includes Inquiry Cs.
$23,087
Per student
+2%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 63.9%
State 0.8%
Federal 35.3%
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.
Similar other schools in Philadelphia
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Philadelphia Performing Arts Cs
Standard public school
2,572 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Mast Community Cs Ii
Standard public school
1,875 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
First Philadelphia Preparatory Cs
Standard public school
1,831 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Esperanza Academy Cs
Standard public school
1,637 students 14:1 students per teacher
Frank Anne Sch
Standard public school
1,622 students 18:1 students per teacher
New Foundations Cs
Standard public school
1,529 students 15.3:1 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 Inquiry Cs
How many students attend Inquiry Cs?
Inquiry Cs has 272 students enrolled. It is a other school in Philadelphia, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Inquiry Cs?
The student-teacher ratio at Inquiry Cs is 10.3:1, which is 24% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 35% 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 Inquiry Cs?
100.0% of students at Inquiry Cs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Inquiry Cs?
The largest demographic group at Inquiry Cs is African American at 84.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Philadelphia, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Inquiry Cs?
Inquiry Cs has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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.