Enrollment
407
Delaware · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 100079000097
Lake Forest South Elementary School — Harrington, DE
Federal NCES profile for Lake Forest South Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 53
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 52
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: Lake Forest School District · Delaware
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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 14.1:1 Delaware avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake Forest South Elementary School compares with Delaware 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 Forest South Elementary School reports 407 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% below the Delaware state mean of 14.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 26% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 407 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lake Forest School District spends $16,957 per pupil district-wide, below the Delaware average of $18,485 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 15.7% from local sources (property taxes), 65.3% from the state, and 19.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), 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 Forest South Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Delaware state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Delaware | Delaware avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.8:1 | ▼ 16% | 14.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 407 | top 29% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 22% in Delaware — lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.2%
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
$16,957
per pupil, district-wide
— below Delaware avg of $18,485
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 407 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 407 Top 29% in Delaware — larger than 71% of 223 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 11.8:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 100079000097
Student demographics
White 58.7%
African American 21.6%
Two or More 10.3%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 58.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 407:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.2%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lake Forest School District, which includes Lake Forest South Elementary School.
$16,957
Per student
-8%
vs Delaware
Avg $18,485
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 15.7%
State 65.3%
Federal 19.0%
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
- 951
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 905
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 424
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
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 Lake Forest South Elementary School
How many students attend Lake Forest South Elementary School?
Lake Forest South Elementary School has 407 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Harrington, DE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Forest South Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake Forest South Elementary School is 11.8:1, which is 16% lower than the Delaware average of 14.1:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Forest South Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Lake Forest South Elementary School is White at 58.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Harrington, DE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Forest South Elementary School?
Lake Forest South Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) 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.