Enrollment
454
Delaware · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Magnolia, DE
J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center
Federal NCES profile for J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 100018000309
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Delaware median.
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.4:1
- students per teacher
- 454
- students enrolled
J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center has class sizes near the Delaware median. Computed live against every Delaware school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Caesar Rodney School District · Delaware
NCES ID 100018000309 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 13.9:1 Delaware avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center compares with Delaware and U.S. medians
What stands out at J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center
J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center is a mid-sized elementary school in Magnolia, Delaware, enrolling 454 students.
At 13.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Delaware median, within a few percentage points of the 13.9:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
With 454 students, its enrollment sits close to the Delaware median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 222 scored Delaware schools.
Its student body is led by White (51%) and African American (34%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 454 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Caesar Rodney School District also operates Caesar Rodney High School (2,254 students) and Fred Fifer Iii Middle School (839 students) alongside J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center.
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 J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center compares
J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center on the metrics families compare, against Delaware and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Delaware | Delaware avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▼ 4% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 454 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
454
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 45% in Delaware - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,572
per pupil, district-wide
- below Delaware avg of $16,990
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 454 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 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 51.3%
African American 33.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.0%
Two or More 4.6%
Asian 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 51.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.5, J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center is about as mixed as the Delaware school average of 61.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caesar Rodney School District, which includes J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center.
$16,572
Per student
-2%
vs Delaware
Avg $16,990
0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.6%
State 62.9%
Federal 21.5%
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 J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caesar Rodney High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fred Fifer Iii Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| David E. Robinson Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| W. Reily Brown Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,254
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 839
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 647
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 514
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 506
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Delaware, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~454 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center's federal record.
- Compare J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center against another school. Compare schools
- Caesar Rodney School District'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 J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center
How many students attend J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center?
J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center has 454 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Magnolia, DE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center?
The student-teacher ratio at J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center is 13.4:1, which is 4% lower than the Delaware average of 13.9:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center?
The largest demographic group at J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center is White at 51.3% of enrollment, in Magnolia, DE. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center?
J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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).
Is J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center a good school?
J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Delaware 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 Caesar Rodney School District?
Besides J. Ralph Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center, Caesar Rodney School District also operates Caesar Rodney High School (2,254 students), Fred Fifer Iii Middle School (839 students), and F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School (647 students). See the Caesar Rodney School District 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.