Enrollment
383
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180456000766
Judith Morton Johnston Elementary — Highland, IN
Federal NCES profile for Judith Morton Johnston Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 19
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 51
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: School Town of Highland · 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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.2:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+25% 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
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
Judith Morton Johnston Elementary reports 383 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% 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 27% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 45.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% below the Indiana average and 13% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 383 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding School Town of Highland spends $12,883 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.5% from local sources (property taxes), 62.8% from the state, and 10.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Judith Morton Johnston Elementary 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 | 20.2:1 | ▲ 25% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.1% | ▼ 9% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 383 | top 37% | — | — |
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
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
20.2:1
students per teacher
— 25% above state mean
Top 93% in Indiana — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
19.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$12,883
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 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
Enrollment 383 Top 37% in Indiana — larger than 63% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 20.2:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 45.1% -9% vs state
NCES ID 180456000766
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 383:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.6%
In-school suspensions 8
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School Town of Highland, which includes Judith Morton Johnston Elementary.
$12,883
Per student
-12%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 971
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 774
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Enrollment
- 308
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 290
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
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 Judith Morton Johnston Elementary
How many students attend Judith Morton Johnston Elementary?
Judith Morton Johnston Elementary has 383 students enrolled. It is a other 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 20.2:1, which is 25% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Highland, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Judith Morton Johnston Elementary?
Judith Morton Johnston Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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.