Enrollment
347
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180369000583
Needham Elementary School — Franklin, IN
Federal NCES profile for Needham Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 80
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 →
The verdict
Needham Elementary School earns a C- Resource Investment Index (54/100), with class sizes near the Indiana median.
- C-
- Resource Index · 54/100
- 16.3:1
- students per teacher
- 41.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 347
- students enrolled
School address
District: Franklin Community School Corp · 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.1%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Needham 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
Needham Elementary School reports 347 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 41.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 17% below the Indiana average and 21% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 347 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Franklin Community School Corp spends $15,351 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.5% from local sources (property taxes), 52.7% from the state, and 9.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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 Needham 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 1% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.1% | ▼ 17% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 347 | top 30% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
16 smaller classes than 36% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
347 larger than 39% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
41.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 17% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 63% in Indiana — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$15,351
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 347 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 347 Top 30% in Indiana — larger than 70% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 41.1% -17% vs state
NCES ID 180369000583
Student demographics
White 83.0%
Two or More 7.8%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
African American 2.3%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 83.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 347:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.1%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Franklin Community School Corp, which includes Needham Elementary School.
$15,351
Per student
+5%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.5%
State 52.7%
Federal 9.8%
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
- 1,531
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 734
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 726
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 517
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 505
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
Similar other schools in Franklin
3 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 Needham Elementary School
How many students attend Needham Elementary School?
Needham Elementary School has 347 students enrolled. It is a other school in Franklin, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Needham Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Needham Elementary School is 16.3:1, which is 1% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Needham Elementary School?
41.1% of students at Needham Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Needham Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Needham Elementary School is White at 83.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Franklin, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Needham Elementary School?
Needham Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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.