Enrollment
160
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · New Castle, PA
Laurel Ms
Federal NCES profile for Laurel Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 421338007639
👥 S:T ratio 8
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Laurel Ms earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- #2 of 4
- middle schools in New Castle · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 22.9:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 24.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Laurel Ms has class sizes larger than 99% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Laurel Ms ranks #2 of 4 middle schools in New Castle, PA.
School address
District: Laurel Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421338007639 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+68% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.2%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Laurel Ms compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Laurel Ms
Laurel Ms is a small middle school in New Castle, Pennsylvania, enrolling 160 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22.9:1 is larger than about 99% of Pennsylvania schools and 68% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.2% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of Pennsylvania schools, with 160 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 30 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #16.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 160 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
15.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among New Castle's middle schools, it stands alongside New Castle Jhs (689 students): Laurel Ms is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (22.9:1 vs 16.8:1).
Laurel Sd also operates Laurel El Sch (503 students) and Laurel Hs (313 students) alongside Laurel Ms.
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 Laurel Ms compares
Laurel Ms on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.9:1 | ▲ 68% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.2% | ▼ 58% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 160 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.9:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
160
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 58% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22.9:1
students per teacher
- 68% above state mean
Top 99% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
15.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$17,461
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 160 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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 96.9%
Asian 1.3%
Two or More 1.3%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 96.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.1, Laurel Ms is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Laurel Sd, which includes Laurel Ms.
$17,461
Per student
-3%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.7%
State 59.6%
Federal 8.7%
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 Laurel Ms Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel El Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Laurel Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Laurel Ms's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 503
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 313
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar middle schools in New Castle
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle schools statewide
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.
Similar enrollment (~160 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Laurel Ms's federal record.
- Compare Laurel Ms against another school. Compare schools
- Laurel Sd'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 Laurel Ms
How many students attend Laurel Ms?
Laurel Ms has 160 students enrolled. It is a middle school in New Castle, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Laurel Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Laurel Ms is 22.9:1, which is 68% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 46% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Laurel Ms?
24.2% of students at Laurel Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Laurel Ms?
The largest demographic group at Laurel Ms is White at 96.9% of enrollment, in New Castle, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Laurel Ms?
Laurel Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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 Laurel Ms rank among middle schools in New Castle?
By Resource Investment Index, Laurel Ms ranks #2 of 4 middle schools in New Castle, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in New Castle on the city page.
Is Laurel Ms a good school?
Laurel Ms earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania 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 Laurel Sd?
Besides Laurel Ms, Laurel Sd also operates Laurel El Sch (503 students) and Laurel Hs (313 students). See the Laurel Sd 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.