Enrollment
356
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180435000754
Jane Ball Elementary School — Cedar Lake, IN
Federal NCES profile for Jane Ball Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 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: Hanover Community 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.5:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+65% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.0%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jane Ball 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
Jane Ball Elementary School reports 356 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 26.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 65% 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 67% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 28.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 43% below the Indiana average and 46% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 356 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 3.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hanover Community School Corp spends $13,715 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 42.0% from local sources (property taxes), 53.4% from the state, and 4.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), 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 Jane Ball 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 | 26.5:1 | ▲ 65% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.0% | ▼ 43% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 356 | top 32% | — | — |
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
28.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 43% 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
26.5:1
students per teacher
— 65% above state mean
Top 98% in Indiana — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
3.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,715
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 356 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 356 Top 32% in Indiana — larger than 68% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 26.5:1 +65% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 28.0% -43% vs state
NCES ID 180435000754
Student demographics
White 79.2%
Hispanic or Latino 13.5%
African American 3.9%
Two or More 2.2%
Asian 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 79.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 356:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 3.4%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hanover Community School Corp, which includes Jane Ball Elementary School.
$13,715
Per student
-6%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 42.0%
State 53.4%
Federal 4.6%
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
- 857
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 666
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 647
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 305
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
Similar other schools in Cedar Lake
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Jane Ball Elementary School
How many students attend Jane Ball Elementary School?
Jane Ball Elementary School has 356 students enrolled. It is a other school in Cedar Lake, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jane Ball Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Jane Ball Elementary School is 26.5:1, which is 65% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 67% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jane Ball Elementary School?
28.0% of students at Jane Ball Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jane Ball Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Jane Ball Elementary School is White at 79.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cedar Lake, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jane Ball Elementary School?
Jane Ball Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.