Elementary school (grades K-5) · Chambersburg, PA

Marion El Sch

Federal NCES profile for Marion El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420555007579
0/100100/10051/100
👥 S:T ratio
16
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
42
📋 Attendance
77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Marion El Sch earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.

#7 of 11
elementary schools in Chambersburg · Resource Index
51
Resource Index · Higher
20.9:1
large classes for Pennsylvania
100.0%
free-lunch eligible

Marion El Sch has class sizes larger than 98% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Marion El Sch ranks #7 of 11 elementary schools in Chambersburg, PA.

Enrollment

292

Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

14.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

20.9:1

vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg

+54% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

100.0%

vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg

+72% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Marion El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians

Larger classes than 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 Marion El Sch

Marion El Sch is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, enrolling 292 students.

Class loads run heavy: 20.9:1 is larger than about 98% of Pennsylvania schools and 54% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 292 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.

Against 377 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #68.

Its student body is led by White (37%) and African American (28%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 292 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Attendance holds up well here: only 9.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.

The surrounding Chambersburg Area Sd spends $14,464 per pupil, 20% below the Pennsylvania average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Among Chambersburg's elementary schools, it stands alongside Benjamin Chambers El Sch (583 students): Marion El Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (20.9:1 vs 17.1:1).

Chambersburg Area Sd also operates Chambersburg Area Shs (2,319 students) and Chambersburg Area Ms - North (1,072 students) alongside Marion El 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 Marion El Sch compares

Marion El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Pennsylvania Pennsylvania avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 20.9:1 ▲ 54% 13.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% ▲ 72% 58.1% 51.7%
Enrollment 292 top 79% - -

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

20.9:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
292
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible - 72% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20.9:1
students per teacher - 54% above state mean
Top 98% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
9.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$14,464
per pupil, district-wide - below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 292 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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 36.6%
African American 27.7%
Hispanic or Latino 23.6%
Two or More 9.9%
Asian 2.1%

Largest group: White at 36.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 72.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 72.3, Marion El Sch is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chambersburg Area Sd, which includes Marion El Sch.

$14,464
Per student
-20%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.9%
State 29.0%
Federal 12.1%

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 Marion El Sch Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Chambersburg Area Shs Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Chambersburg Area Ms - North Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Chambersburg Area Ms - South Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Chambersburg Area Career Magnet Sch Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Benjamin Chambers El Sch Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Marion El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Chambersburg Area Sd · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Chambersburg

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Marion El Sch'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 Marion El Sch

How many students attend Marion El Sch?

Marion El Sch has 292 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Chambersburg, PA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Marion El Sch?

The student-teacher ratio at Marion El Sch is 20.9:1, which is 54% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 33% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Marion El Sch?

100.0% of students at Marion El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Marion El Sch?

The largest demographic group at Marion El Sch is White at 36.6% of enrollment, in Chambersburg, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.3/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Marion El Sch?

Marion El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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 Marion El Sch rank among elementary schools in Chambersburg?

By Resource Investment Index, Marion El Sch ranks #7 of 11 elementary schools in Chambersburg, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Chambersburg on the city page.

Is Marion El Sch a good school?

Marion El Sch earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also more 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 Chambersburg Area Sd?

Besides Marion El Sch, Chambersburg Area Sd also operates Chambersburg Area Shs (2,319 students), Chambersburg Area Ms - North (1,072 students), and Chambersburg Area Ms - South (1,025 students). See the Chambersburg Area Sd 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.