Enrollment
569
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 240042001700
Lake Elkhorn Middle — Columbia, MD
Federal NCES profile for Lake Elkhorn Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 0
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: Howard County Public Schools · Maryland
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)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.3%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake Elkhorn Middle compares with Maryland 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
Lake Elkhorn Middle reports 569 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 48.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% below the Maryland state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% above the Maryland average and 3% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 285 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 43.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Howard County Public Schools spends $20,893 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $22,498 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 62.7% from local sources (property taxes), 29.5% from the state, and 7.7% 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 Lake Elkhorn Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maryland state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.5:1 | ▼ 13% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.3% | ▲ 3% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 569 | top 56% | — | — |
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
50.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.5:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 20% in Maryland — lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
43.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$20,893
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $22,498
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 285 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 80 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 569 Top 56% in Maryland — larger than 44% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 48.0
Students per teacher 12.5:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.3% +3% vs state
NCES ID 240042001700
Student demographics
African American 48.0%
Hispanic or Latino 22.8%
White 15.7%
Two or More 7.8%
Asian 5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 48.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 285:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 43.8%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 80
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Howard County Public Schools, which includes Lake Elkhorn Middle.
$20,893
Per student
-7%
vs Maryland
Avg $22,498
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 62.7%
State 29.5%
Federal 7.7%
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
- 1,741
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 1,597
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,540
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,493
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,455
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
Similar middle schools in Columbia
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Lake Elkhorn Middle
How many students attend Lake Elkhorn Middle?
Lake Elkhorn Middle has 569 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Columbia, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Elkhorn Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake Elkhorn Middle is 12.5:1, which is 13% lower than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lake Elkhorn Middle?
50.3% of students at Lake Elkhorn Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Elkhorn Middle?
The largest demographic group at Lake Elkhorn Middle is African American at 48.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbia, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Elkhorn Middle?
Lake Elkhorn Middle 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.