Enrollment
350
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Albion, PA
Northwestern El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Northwestern El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 421788005144
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwestern El Sch earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Albion · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.7:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Northwestern El Sch has class sizes smaller than 76% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Northwestern El Sch ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Albion, PA.
School address
District: Northwestern Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421788005144 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwestern El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northwestern El Sch
Northwestern El Sch is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Albion, Pennsylvania, enrolling 350 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 350 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 462 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #274.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 13/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 350 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Northwestern Sd also operates Northwestern Shs (398 students) and Northwestern Ms (266 students) alongside Northwestern 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 Northwestern El Sch compares
Northwestern 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 | 11.7:1 | ▼ 14% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 350 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.7:1
Leaner classes than 78% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
350
Bigger than 40% 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
11.7:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 24% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
44.0%
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
$16,612
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 350 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 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 93.4%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
Two or More 2.9%
African American 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 93.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.6, Northwestern El Sch is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northwestern Sd, which includes Northwestern El Sch.
$16,612
Per student
-8%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.6%
State 60.6%
Federal 13.7%
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 Northwestern El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Shs | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northwestern Ms | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Springfield El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northwestern El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 398
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 266
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 162
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
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 (~350 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northwestern El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Northwestern El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Northwestern 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 Northwestern El Sch
How many students attend Northwestern El Sch?
Northwestern El Sch has 350 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Albion, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwestern El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwestern El Sch is 11.7:1, which is 14% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 25% 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 Northwestern El Sch?
100.0% of students at Northwestern El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwestern El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Northwestern El Sch is White at 93.4% of enrollment, in Albion, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwestern El Sch?
Northwestern El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Northwestern El Sch rank among public schools in Albion?
By Resource Investment Index, Northwestern El Sch ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Albion, 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 Albion on the city page.
Is Northwestern El Sch a good school?
Northwestern El Sch earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% 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 Northwestern Sd?
Besides Northwestern El Sch, Northwestern Sd also operates Northwestern Shs (398 students), Northwestern Ms (266 students), and Springfield El Sch (162 students). See the Northwestern 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.