Enrollment
278
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mount Union, PA
Mount Union-Kistler El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Mount Union-Kistler El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 421602000670
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mount Union-Kistler El Sch earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Mount Union · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Mount Union-Kistler El Sch has class sizes smaller than 96% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mount Union-Kistler El Sch ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Mount Union, PA.
School address
District: Mount Union Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421602000670 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mount Union-Kistler El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mount Union-Kistler El Sch
Mount Union-Kistler El Sch is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Mount Union, Pennsylvania, enrolling 278 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9:1, Mount Union-Kistler El Sch is leaner than roughly 96% of Pennsylvania schools and 34% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 278 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 351 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #248.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 556 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Mount Union's elementary schools, it stands alongside Shirley Twp El Sch (279 students): Mount Union-Kistler El Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9:1 vs 9.3:1).
Mount Union Area Sd also operates Mount Union Area Shs (323 students) and Shirley Twp El Sch (279 students) alongside Mount Union-Kistler 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 Mount Union-Kistler El Sch compares
Mount Union-Kistler 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 | 9:1 | ▼ 34% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 278 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
278
Bigger than 29% 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
9:1
students per teacher
- 34% below state mean
Top 4% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,182
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 84.9%
Two or More 9.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.3%
African American 1.4%
Largest group: White at 84.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.8, Mount Union-Kistler El Sch is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mount Union Area Sd, which includes Mount Union-Kistler El Sch.
$15,182
Per student
-16%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.5%
State 62.3%
Federal 12.2%
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 Mount Union-Kistler El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Union Area Shs | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shirley Twp El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mount Union Area Jhs | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mount Union-Kistler El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 279
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 221
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar elementary schools in Mount Union
1 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.
Similar enrollment (~278 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mount Union-Kistler El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Mount Union-Kistler El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Mount Union Area 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 Mount Union-Kistler El Sch
How many students attend Mount Union-Kistler El Sch?
Mount Union-Kistler El Sch has 278 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mount Union, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mount Union-Kistler El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Mount Union-Kistler El Sch is 9:1, which is 34% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 43% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mount Union-Kistler El Sch?
100.0% of students at Mount Union-Kistler El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mount Union-Kistler El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Mount Union-Kistler El Sch is White at 84.9% of enrollment, in Mount Union, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mount Union-Kistler El Sch?
Mount Union-Kistler El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Mount Union-Kistler El Sch rank among public schools in Mount Union?
By Resource Investment Index, Mount Union-Kistler El Sch ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Mount Union, 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 Mount Union on the city page.
Is Mount Union-Kistler El Sch a good school?
Mount Union-Kistler El Sch earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of 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 Mount Union Area Sd?
Besides Mount Union-Kistler El Sch, Mount Union Area Sd also operates Mount Union Area Shs (323 students), Shirley Twp El Sch (279 students), and Mount Union Area Jhs (221 students). See the Mount Union Area 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.