Enrollment
478
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 421350001314
Lehighton Area Ms — Lehighton, PA
Federal NCES profile for Lehighton Area Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 59
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 36
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: Lehighton Area Sd · Pennsylvania
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)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lehighton Area Ms compares with Pennsylvania 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
Lehighton Area Ms reports 478 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 50.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% below the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 35% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 48.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 17% below the Pennsylvania average and 7% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 478 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lehighton Area Sd spends $19,128 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.2% from local sources (property taxes), 37.6% from the state, and 10.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Lehighton Area Ms compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Pennsylvania state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.3:1 | ▼ 24% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.0% | ▼ 17% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 478 | top 53% | — | — |
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
48.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 17% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher
— 24% below state mean
Top 9% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.7%
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
$19,128
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 478 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 478 Top 53% in Pennsylvania — larger than 47% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 50.0
Students per teacher 10.3:1 -24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 48.0% -17% vs state
NCES ID 421350001314
Student demographics
White 81.8%
Hispanic or Latino 11.5%
Two or More 4.4%
African American 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 81.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 478:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.7%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lehighton Area Sd, which includes Lehighton Area Ms.
$19,128
Per student
-16%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.2%
State 37.6%
Federal 10.2%
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
- 1,005
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 630
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
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 Lehighton Area Ms
How many students attend Lehighton Area Ms?
Lehighton Area Ms has 478 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Lehighton, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lehighton Area Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Lehighton Area Ms is 10.3:1, which is 24% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 35% 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 Lehighton Area Ms?
48.0% of students at Lehighton Area Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lehighton Area Ms?
The largest demographic group at Lehighton Area Ms is White at 81.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lehighton, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lehighton Area Ms?
Lehighton Area Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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.