Enrollment
87
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lawrence, NE
Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch
Federal NCES profile for Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 310012200807
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Nebraska schools.
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.7:1
- small classes for Nebraska
- 28.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 87
- students enrolled
Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch has class sizes smaller than 80% of Nebraska schools. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: South Central Nebraska Unified 5 · Nebraska
NCES ID 310012200807 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.7:1
vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.7%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch
Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Lawrence, Nebraska, enrolling 87 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Nebraska schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 28.7% lands close to the Nebraska typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 87 puts it in the smaller third of Nebraska schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,003 scored Nebraska schools.
Among 137 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Nebraska schools statewide, it ranks #122, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 435 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
South Central Nebraska Unified 5 also operates Sandy Creek Elementary School (209 students) and Sandy Creek High School (110 students) alongside Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch.
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 Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch compares
Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch on the metrics families compare, against Nebraska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.7:1 | ▼ 28% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.7% | ▼ 7% | 30.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 87 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.7:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
87
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% below the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9.7:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 20% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
10.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$19,203
per pupil, district-wide
- above Nebraska avg of $17,680
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Central Nebraska Unified 5, which includes Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch.
$19,203
Per student
+9%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
+16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.9%
State 14.6%
Federal 10.5%
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 Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Creek Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sandy Creek High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sandy Creek Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clay Co Learning Center - Fairfield | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lawrence/Nelson High Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 209
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 110
- Students per teacher
- 7.9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 96
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 63
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 63
- Students per teacher
- 7.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Nebraska, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~87 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch's federal record.
- Compare Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch against another school. Compare schools
- South Central Nebraska Unified 5'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 Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch
How many students attend Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch?
Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch has 87 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lawrence, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch is 9.7:1, which is 28% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 38% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch?
28.7% of students at Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch?
Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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).
Is Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch a good school?
Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Nebraska 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 South Central Nebraska Unified 5?
Besides Lawrence/Nelson Elementary Sch, South Central Nebraska Unified 5 also operates Sandy Creek Elementary School (209 students), Sandy Creek High School (110 students), and Sandy Creek Middle School (96 students). See the South Central Nebraska Unified 5 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.