Enrollment
446
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 180684001285
Liberty Elementary School — Mishawaka, IN
Federal NCES profile for Liberty Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 78
📋 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: School City of Mishawaka · Indiana
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)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.1%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Liberty Elementary School compares with Indiana 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
Liberty Elementary School reports 446 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 74.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% above the Indiana average and 43% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 112 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 44.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding School City of Mishawaka spends $12,504 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.4% from local sources (property taxes), 65.7% from the state, and 15.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Liberty Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.4:1 | ▼ 4% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.1% | ▲ 50% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 446 | top 49% | — | — |
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
74.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 49% in Indiana — lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
44.2%
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
$12,504
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 112 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 44 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 446 Top 49% in Indiana — larger than 51% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 15.4:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 74.1% +50% vs state
NCES ID 180684001285
Student demographics
White 55.2%
African American 21.3%
Two or More 12.3%
Hispanic or Latino 10.8%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 55.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 112:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 44.2%
In-school suspensions 24
Out-of-school suspensions 44
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School City of Mishawaka, which includes Liberty Elementary School.
$12,504
Per student
-14%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.4%
State 65.7%
Federal 15.9%
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
- 1,327
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 709
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 519
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 504
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Enrollment
- 422
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Mishawaka
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Walt Disney Elementary School
Standard public school
512 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Emmons Elementary School
Standard public school
422 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Meadow'S Edge Elementary School
Standard public school
382 students 17:1 students per teacher
Fred J Hums Elementary School
Standard public school
327 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Twin Branch Elementary School
Standard public school
300 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Battell Elementary School
Standard public school
291 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
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 Liberty Elementary School
How many students attend Liberty Elementary School?
Liberty Elementary School has 446 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Mishawaka, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Liberty Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Liberty Elementary School is 15.4:1, which is 4% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 3% 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 Liberty Elementary School?
74.1% of students at Liberty Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Liberty Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Liberty Elementary School is White at 55.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Mishawaka, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Liberty Elementary School?
Liberty Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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.