Enrollment
383
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Highland, IN
Judith Morton Johnston Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Judith Morton Johnston Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 180456000766
👥 S:T ratio 15
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Judith Morton Johnston Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Indiana schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools.
- #5 of 6
- public schools in Highland · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.3:1
- large classes for Indiana
- 45.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Judith Morton Johnston Elementary has class sizes larger than 94% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Judith Morton Johnston Elementary ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Highland, IN.
School address
District: School Town of Highland · Indiana
NCES ID 180456000766 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.3:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
+34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.1%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Judith Morton Johnston Elementary compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Judith Morton Johnston Elementary
Judith Morton Johnston Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Highland, Indiana, enrolling 383 students.
Class loads run heavy: 21.3:1 is larger than about 94% of Indiana schools and 34% above the 15.9:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 45.1% lands close to the Indiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 383 students, its enrollment sits close to the Indiana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Among 525 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Indiana schools statewide, it ranks #415, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and Hispanic or Latino (40%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 383 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
School Town of Highland also operates Highland High School (971 students) and Highland Middle School (774 students) alongside Judith Morton Johnston Elementary.
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 Judith Morton Johnston Elementary compares
Judith Morton Johnston Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.3:1 | ▲ 34% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.1% | ▼ 9% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 383 | top 63% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.3:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
383
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.3:1
students per teacher
- 34% above state mean
Top 94% in Indiana - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
19.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,643
per pupil, district-wide
- below Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 383 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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 47.8%
Hispanic or Latino 39.9%
African American 8.1%
Two or More 3.9%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 47.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.4, Judith Morton Johnston Elementary is more mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School Town of Highland, which includes Judith Morton Johnston Elementary.
$10,643
Per student
-12%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.5%
State 62.8%
Federal 10.7%
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 Judith Morton Johnston Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Highland Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southridge Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Allen J Warren Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mildred Merkley Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Judith Morton Johnston Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 971
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 774
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 308
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 290
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~383 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Judith Morton Johnston Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Judith Morton Johnston Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- School Town of Highland'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 Judith Morton Johnston Elementary
How many students attend Judith Morton Johnston Elementary?
Judith Morton Johnston Elementary has 383 students enrolled. It is a public school in Highland, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Judith Morton Johnston Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Judith Morton Johnston Elementary is 21.3:1, which is 34% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Judith Morton Johnston Elementary?
45.1% of students at Judith Morton Johnston Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Judith Morton Johnston Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Judith Morton Johnston Elementary is White at 47.8% of enrollment, in Highland, IN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Judith Morton Johnston Elementary?
Judith Morton Johnston Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical 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 Judith Morton Johnston Elementary rank among public schools in Highland?
By Resource Investment Index, Judith Morton Johnston Elementary ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Highland, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Highland on the city page.
Is Judith Morton Johnston Elementary a good school?
Judith Morton Johnston Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Indiana schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools. 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 School Town of Highland?
Besides Judith Morton Johnston Elementary, School Town of Highland also operates Highland High School (971 students), Highland Middle School (774 students), and Southridge Elementary School (439 students). See the School Town of Highland 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.