Enrollment
340
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mardela Springs, MD
Northwestern Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Northwestern Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240069001308
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwestern Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Maryland schools.
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.2:1
- large classes for Maryland
- 54.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 340
- students enrolled
Northwestern Elementary has class sizes larger than 73% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Wicomico County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240069001308 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.3%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwestern Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northwestern Elementary
Northwestern Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Mardela Springs, Maryland, enrolling 340 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 54.3% lands close to the Maryland typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 340 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 201 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #136.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and African American (10%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 340 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Mardela Springs's public schools, it stands alongside Mardela Middle & High (742 students): Northwestern Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.2:1 vs 14.3:1).
Wicomico County Public Schools also operates James M. Bennett High (1,474 students) and Wicomico High (1,304 students) alongside Northwestern Elementary.
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 Elementary compares
Northwestern Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.2:1 | ▲ 12% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.3% | ▲ 11% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 340 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
340
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 73% in Maryland - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.1%
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
$17,780
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 340 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 79.1%
African American 9.7%
Two or More 6.5%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: White at 79.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.9, Northwestern Elementary is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wicomico County Public Schools, which includes Northwestern Elementary.
$17,780
Per student
-13%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.7%
State 66.2%
Federal 14.1%
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 Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| James M. Bennett High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wicomico High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Parkside High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Prince Street School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bennett Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northwestern Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,474
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,304
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar other schools in Mardela Springs
1 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.
Similar enrollment (~340 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northwestern Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Northwestern Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Wicomico County Public Schools'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 Elementary
How many students attend Northwestern Elementary?
Northwestern Elementary has 340 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mardela Springs, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwestern Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwestern Elementary is 16.2:1, which is 12% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Northwestern Elementary?
54.3% of students at Northwestern Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwestern Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Northwestern Elementary is White at 79.1% of enrollment, in Mardela Springs, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwestern Elementary?
Northwestern Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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).
Is Northwestern Elementary a good school?
Northwestern Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of 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 Wicomico County Public Schools?
Besides Northwestern Elementary, Wicomico County Public Schools also operates James M. Bennett High (1,474 students), Wicomico High (1,304 students), and Parkside High (1,272 students). See the Wicomico County Public Schools 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.