Enrollment
230
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 180540000972
Murdock Elementary School — Lafayette, IN
Federal NCES profile for Murdock Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 34
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: Lafayette School Corporation · Indiana
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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.2%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Murdock Elementary School compares with Indiana 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
Murdock Elementary School reports 230 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 8% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 77.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% above the Indiana average and 49% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 230 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lafayette School Corporation spends $16,116 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.3% from local sources (property taxes), 58.7% from the state, and 14.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Murdock Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.7:1 | ▼ 9% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.2% | ▲ 56% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 230 | top 12% | — | — |
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
77.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.7:1
students per teacher
— 9% below state mean
Top 39% in Indiana — lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
26.5%
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
$16,116
per pupil, district-wide
— above Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 230 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 230 Top 12% in Indiana — larger than 88% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 14.7:1 -9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 77.2% +56% vs state
NCES ID 180540000972
Student demographics
White 40.0%
Hispanic or Latino 29.6%
African American 20.9%
Two or More 9.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 40.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 230:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.5%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lafayette School Corporation, which includes Murdock Elementary School.
$16,116
Per student
+11%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.3%
State 58.7%
Federal 14.0%
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
- 2,042
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 1,031
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 550
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
Similar elementary schools in Lafayette
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Lafayette Sunnyside Intermediate
Standard public school
1,031 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Wea Ridge Elementary School
Standard public school
609 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Woodland Elementary School
Standard public school
601 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Mayflower Mill Elementary School
Standard public school
585 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Hershey Elementary School
Standard public school
538 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Wyandotte Elementary
Standard public school
522 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
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 Murdock Elementary School
How many students attend Murdock Elementary School?
Murdock Elementary School has 230 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Lafayette, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Murdock Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Murdock Elementary School is 14.7:1, which is 9% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 8% 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 Murdock Elementary School?
77.2% of students at Murdock Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Murdock Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Murdock Elementary School is White at 40.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lafayette, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Murdock Elementary School?
Murdock Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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.