Other / mixed grade configuration · Manchester, MD

Manchester Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Manchester Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240021000536
0/100100/10035/100
👥 S:T ratio
33
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
39
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Manchester Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Maryland schools.

#3 of 3
public schools in Manchester · Resource Index
35
Resource Index · Typical
16.8:1
large classes for Maryland
23.5%
free-lunch eligible

Manchester Elementary has class sizes larger than 79% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Manchester Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Manchester, MD.

Enrollment

671

Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

40.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

16.8:1

vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg

+16% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

23.5%

vs 49.0% Maryland avg

-52% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Manchester Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Manchester Elementary

Manchester Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Manchester, Maryland, enrolling 671 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.5% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 671 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.

Among 271 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Maryland schools statewide, it ranks #249, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 671 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.

The surrounding Carroll County Public Schools spends $15,757 per pupil, 23% below the Maryland average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Among Manchester's public schools, it stands alongside Ebb Valley Elementary (563 students): Manchester Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.8:1 vs 14.8:1).

Carroll County Public Schools also operates Westminster High (1,477 students) and Manchester Valley High (1,339 students) alongside Manchester Elementary.

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 Manchester Elementary compares

Manchester Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Maryland Maryland avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 16.8:1 ▲ 16% 14.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 23.5% ▼ 52% 49.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 671 top 32% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
671
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
23.5%
free-lunch eligible - 52% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher - 16% above state mean
Top 79% in Maryland - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,757
per pupil, district-wide - below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 671 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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.

Student demographics

White 84.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Two or More 5.5%
African American 1.8%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%

Largest group: White at 84.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 28.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 28.3, Manchester Elementary is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carroll County Public Schools, which includes Manchester Elementary.

$15,757
Per student
-23%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.2%
State 37.6%
Federal 8.2%

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.

How Manchester Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Westminster High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Manchester Valley High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Winters Mill High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Century High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Liberty High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Manchester Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Carroll County Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Manchester

1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Manchester Elementary's federal record.

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 Manchester Elementary

How many students attend Manchester Elementary?

Manchester Elementary has 671 students enrolled. It is a public school in Manchester, MD.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Manchester Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Manchester Elementary is 16.8:1, which is 16% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Manchester Elementary?

23.5% of students at Manchester Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Manchester Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Manchester Elementary is White at 84.2% of enrollment, in Manchester, MD.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Manchester Elementary?

Manchester Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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).

How does Manchester Elementary rank among public schools in Manchester?

By Resource Investment Index, Manchester Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Manchester, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Manchester on the city page.

Is Manchester Elementary a good school?

Manchester Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Maryland 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 Carroll County Public Schools?

Besides Manchester Elementary, Carroll County Public Schools also operates Westminster High (1,477 students), Manchester Valley High (1,339 students), and Winters Mill High (1,156 students). See the Carroll County Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.