Enrollment
468
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Boiling Springs, PA
Iron Forge El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Iron Forge El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 422205007629
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 81
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Iron Forge El Sch earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Boiling Springs · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 32.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Iron Forge El Sch has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Iron Forge El Sch ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Boiling Springs, PA.
School address
District: South Middleton Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 422205007629 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.9%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Iron Forge El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Iron Forge El Sch
Iron Forge El Sch is a mid-sized elementary school in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, enrolling 468 students.
At 13:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Pennsylvania median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 468 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 678 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #279.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Asian (16%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 468 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Boiling Springs's elementary schools, it stands alongside Monroe El Sch (512 students): Iron Forge El Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 17.1:1).
South Middleton Sd also operates Boiling Springs Hs (707 students) and Yellow Breeches Ms (508 students) alongside Iron Forge El Sch.
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 Iron Forge El Sch compares
Iron Forge El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13:1 | ▼ 4% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.9% | ▼ 43% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 468 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
468
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% 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
13:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 44% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$16,363
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 468 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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 74.6%
Asian 15.8%
Two or More 4.7%
African American 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 74.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.5, Iron Forge El Sch is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Middleton Sd, which includes Iron Forge El Sch.
$16,363
Per student
-9%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 69.2%
State 26.3%
Federal 4.5%
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 Iron Forge El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling Springs Hs | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Yellow Breeches Ms | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| W.G. Rice El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Iron Forge El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 707
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 508
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 453
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar elementary schools in Boiling Springs
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 Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~468 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Iron Forge El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Iron Forge El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- South Middleton Sd'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 Iron Forge El Sch
How many students attend Iron Forge El Sch?
Iron Forge El Sch has 468 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Boiling Springs, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Iron Forge El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Iron Forge El Sch is 13:1, which is 4% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 17% 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 Iron Forge El Sch?
32.9% of students at Iron Forge El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Iron Forge El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Iron Forge El Sch is White at 74.6% of enrollment, in Boiling Springs, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Iron Forge El Sch?
Iron Forge El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Iron Forge El Sch rank among public schools in Boiling Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Iron Forge El Sch ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Boiling Springs, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Boiling Springs on the city page.
Is Iron Forge El Sch a good school?
Iron Forge El Sch earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania 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 South Middleton Sd?
Besides Iron Forge El Sch, South Middleton Sd also operates Boiling Springs Hs (707 students), Yellow Breeches Ms (508 students), and W.G. Rice El Sch (453 students). See the South Middleton Sd 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.