Enrollment
395
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ligonier, PA
Mellon El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Mellon El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 421371005361
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mellon El Sch earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Ligonier · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.6:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Mellon El Sch has class sizes larger than 71% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mellon El Sch ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Ligonier, PA.
School address
District: Ligonier Valley Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421371005361 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mellon El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mellon El Sch
Mellon El Sch is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, enrolling 395 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 395 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 505 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #63.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 395 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Ligonier Valley Sd also operates Ligonier Valley Hs (434 students) and Ligonier Valley Ms (268 students) alongside Mellon 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 Mellon El Sch compares
Mellon 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 | 14.6:1 | ▲ 7% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 395 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
395
Bigger than 47% 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
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 71% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
9.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$18,318
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 395 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 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 93.7%
Hispanic or Latino 3.3%
Two or More 2.5%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 93.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.0, Mellon El Sch is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ligonier Valley Sd, which includes Mellon El Sch.
$18,318
Per student
+2%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.3%
State 36.4%
Federal 8.3%
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 Mellon El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ligonier Valley Hs | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ligonier Valley Ms | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Laurel Valley El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mellon El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 434
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 268
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 238
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar other 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.
Similar enrollment (~395 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mellon El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Mellon El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Ligonier Valley Sd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Mellon El Sch
How many students attend Mellon El Sch?
Mellon El Sch has 395 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ligonier, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mellon El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Mellon El Sch is 14.6:1, which is 7% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mellon El Sch?
100.0% of students at Mellon El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mellon El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Mellon El Sch is White at 93.7% of enrollment, in Ligonier, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mellon El Sch?
Mellon El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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 Mellon El Sch rank among public schools in Ligonier?
By Resource Investment Index, Mellon El Sch ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Ligonier, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Ligonier on the city page.
Is Mellon El Sch a good school?
Mellon El Sch earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also less 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 Ligonier Valley Sd?
Besides Mellon El Sch, Ligonier Valley Sd also operates Ligonier Valley Hs (434 students), Ligonier Valley Ms (268 students), and Laurel Valley El Sch (238 students). See the Ligonier Valley Sd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.