Enrollment
395
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 421371005361
Mellon El Sch — Ligonier, PA
Federal NCES profile for Mellon El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 75
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: Ligonier Valley Sd · Pennsylvania
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
14.4:1
vs 13.5:1 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
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
Mellon El Sch reports 395 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% above the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 72% above the Pennsylvania average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 395 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ligonier Valley Sd spends $22,838 per pupil district-wide, above the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 55.3% from local sources (property taxes), 36.4% from the state, and 8.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), 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 Mellon El Sch compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Pennsylvania state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.4:1 | ▲ 7% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 395 | top 38% | — | — |
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
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
14.4:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 66% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
9.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$22,838
per pupil, district-wide
— above Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
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
Enrollment 395 Top 38% in Pennsylvania — larger than 62% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 14.4:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +72% vs state
NCES ID 421371005361
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 395:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.9%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ligonier Valley Sd, which includes Mellon El Sch.
$22,838
Per student
+0%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 434
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 268
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 238
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
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 Mellon El Sch
How many students attend Mellon El Sch?
Mellon El Sch has 395 students enrolled. It is a other school in Ligonier, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mellon El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Mellon El Sch is 14.4:1, which is 7% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Ligonier, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mellon El Sch?
Mellon El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) 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.