Enrollment
522
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Allentown, PA
Federal NCES profile for Jefferson El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 18/100.
The verdict
Jefferson El Sch earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
Jefferson El Sch has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson El Sch ranks #19 of 21 elementary schools in Allentown, PA.
NCES ID 420228002774 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Enrollment
522
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
How Jefferson El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
Slightly above state median
14.5:1 - 0.9 above the Pennsylvania state median of 13.6:1, indicating larger average class loads than typical schools in the state.
Jefferson El Sch is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Allentown, Pennsylvania, enrolling 522 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 522 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 2,889 Pennsylvania schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 524 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #508, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (75%) and African American (10%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 522 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Allentown's elementary schools, it stands alongside Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays El Sch (807 students): Jefferson El Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.5:1 vs 15.8:1).
Allentown City Sd also operates William Allen Hs (3,074 students) and Louis E Dieruff Hs (1,914 students) alongside Jefferson 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
Jefferson 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 | 14.5:1 | ▲ 7% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 522 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
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.
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 74.5% of enrollment.
Simpson diversity index - at 42.4, Jefferson El Sch is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Allentown City Sd, which includes Jefferson El Sch.
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.
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Allen Hs | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Louis E Dieruff Hs | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Mountain Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Francis D Raub Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays El Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jefferson El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jefferson El Sch's federal record.
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.
Jefferson El Sch has 522 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Allentown, PA.
The student-teacher ratio at Jefferson El Sch is 14.5:1, which is 7% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
100.0% of students at Jefferson El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
The largest demographic group at Jefferson El Sch is Hispanic or Latino at 74.5% of enrollment, in Allentown, PA.
Jefferson El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (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).
By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson El Sch ranks #19 of 21 elementary schools in Allentown, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Allentown on the city page.
Jefferson El Sch earns 18/100 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.
Besides Jefferson El Sch, Allentown City Sd also operates William Allen Hs (3,074 students), Louis E Dieruff Hs (1,914 students), and South Mountain Ms (972 students). See the Allentown City Sd district page for the complete list.
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.
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PlainSchools, “Jefferson El Sch, Allentown PA.” Compiled from NCES Common Core of Data, Civil Rights Data Collection, and the NCES F-33 finance survey; data as of June 2026. https://plainschools.com/schools/jefferson-el-sch-pa
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