Other / mixed grade configuration · Baltimore, MD

New Song Academy

Federal NCES profile for New Song Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240009000884Charter school
0/100100/10037/100
👥 S:T ratio
39
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

New Song Academy earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools.

#76 of 177
schools in Baltimore · Resource Index
37
Resource Index · Typical
15.2:1
students per teacher
84.6%
free-lunch eligible

New Song Academy has class sizes near the Maryland median. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, New Song Academy ranks #76 of 177 schools in Baltimore, MD.

Enrollment

182

Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

12.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

15.2:1

vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg

+5% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

84.6%

vs 49.0% Maryland avg

+73% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How New Song Academy compares with Maryland and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at New Song Academy

New Song Academy is a high-poverty, small charter combined-grade school in Baltimore, Maryland, enrolling 182 students.

At 15.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Maryland median, within a few percentage points of the 14.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Economic need is high: 84.6% of students qualify for free meals, 73% above the Maryland average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of Maryland schools, with 182 enrolled.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.

Against 32 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #23.

Its student body is predominantly African American (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 0/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 15.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Baltimore's public schools, it stands alongside Roland Park Elementary/Middle (1,371 students): New Song Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.2:1 vs 19.6:1).

Baltimore City Public Schools also operates Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High (1,714 students) and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (1,632 students) alongside New Song Academy.

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 New Song Academy compares

New Song Academy on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Maryland Maryland avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 15.2:1 ▲ 5% 14.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 84.6% ▲ 73% 49.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 182 top 94% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
182
Bigger than 18% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
84.6%
free-lunch eligible - 73% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.2:1
students per teacher - 5% above state mean
Top 60% in Maryland - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
39.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,272
per pupil, district-wide - below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 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

African American 100.0%

Largest group: African American at 100.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 0.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 0.0, New Song Academy is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Baltimore City Public Schools, which includes New Song Academy.

$18,272
Per student
-11%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.3%
State 51.4%
Federal 15.3%

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 New Song Academy Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Baltimore City College Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Kipp Harmony Academy Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Roland Park Elementary/Middle Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to New Song Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Baltimore City Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Baltimore

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on New Song Academy's federal record.

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 New Song Academy

How many students attend New Song Academy?

New Song Academy has 182 students enrolled. It is a public school in Baltimore, MD.

What is the student-teacher ratio at New Song Academy?

The student-teacher ratio at New Song Academy is 15.2:1, which is 5% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at New Song Academy?

84.6% of students at New Song Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of New Song Academy?

The largest demographic group at New Song Academy is African American at 100.0% of enrollment, in Baltimore, MD.

What is the Resource Investment Index for New Song Academy?

New Song Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does New Song Academy rank among schools in Baltimore?

By Resource Investment Index, New Song Academy ranks #76 of 177 schools in Baltimore, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Baltimore on the city page.

Is New Song Academy a good school?

New Song Academy earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland 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 Baltimore City Public Schools?

Besides New Song Academy, Baltimore City Public Schools also operates Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High (1,714 students), Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (1,632 students), and Baltimore City College (1,470 students). See the Baltimore City Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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.