Enrollment
610
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 240027000141
Mary H. Matula Elementary School — La Plata, MD
Federal NCES profile for Mary H. Matula Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 46
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: Charles County Public Schools · Maryland
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)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.8%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mary H. Matula Elementary School compares with Maryland 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
Mary H. Matula Elementary School reports 610 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Maryland state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% below the Maryland average and 39% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 610 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Charles County Public Schools spends $19,839 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $22,498 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.0% from local sources (property taxes), 44.3% from the state, and 10.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Mary H. Matula Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maryland state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▼ 7% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.8% | ▼ 35% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 610 | top 61% | — | — |
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
31.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 30% in Maryland — lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
21.6%
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
$19,839
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $22,498
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 610 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 610 Top 61% in Maryland — larger than 39% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 13.4:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.8% -35% vs state
NCES ID 240027000141
Student demographics
African American 42.6%
White 29.7%
Two or More 12.6%
Hispanic or Latino 11.0%
Asian 4.1%
Largest group: African American at 42.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 610:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charles County Public Schools, which includes Mary H. Matula Elementary School.
$19,839
Per student
-12%
vs Maryland
Avg $22,498
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 45.0%
State 44.3%
Federal 10.7%
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
- 1,960
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,617
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,230
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,217
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,216
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
Similar other schools in La Plata
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Mary H. Matula Elementary School
How many students attend Mary H. Matula Elementary School?
Mary H. Matula Elementary School has 610 students enrolled. It is a other school in La Plata, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary H. Matula Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mary H. Matula Elementary School is 13.4:1, which is 7% lower than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 16% 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 Mary H. Matula Elementary School?
31.8% of students at Mary H. Matula Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mary H. Matula Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Mary H. Matula Elementary School is African American at 42.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in La Plata, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mary H. Matula Elementary School?
Mary H. Matula Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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.