Enrollment
632
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · West Salem, OH
Northwestern Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Northwestern Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 391003304665
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwestern Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio median.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in West Salem · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.1:1
- students per teacher
- 25.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Northwestern Elementary School has class sizes near the Ohio median. Computed live against every Ohio school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Northwestern Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in West Salem, OH.
School address
District: Northwestern Local · Ohio
NCES ID 391003304665 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 18.2:1 Ohio avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.1%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwestern Elementary School compares with Ohio and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northwestern Elementary School
Northwestern Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in West Salem, Ohio, enrolling 632 students.
At 18.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Ohio median, within a few percentage points of the 18.2:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 25.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 632 puts it in the larger third of Ohio schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,574 scored Ohio schools.
Against 699 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #273.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment) (diversity index 11/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 632 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Northwestern Local also operates Northwestern High School (327 students) and Northwestern Middle School (284 students) alongside Northwestern Elementary School.
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 School compares
Northwestern Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Ohio and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.1:1 | ▼ 1% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.1% | ▼ 21% | 31.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 632 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.1:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
632
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% below the Ohio average of 31.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.1:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 58% in Ohio - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,367
per pupil, district-wide
- below Ohio avg of $14,655
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 632 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 94.5%
Two or More 2.7%
Hispanic or Latino 2.5%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: White at 94.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.6, Northwestern Elementary School is less mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northwestern Local, which includes Northwestern Elementary School.
$12,367
Per student
-16%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.2%
State 47.0%
Federal 8.8%
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.
How Northwestern Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northwestern Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northwestern Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 327
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 284
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Ohio, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~632 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northwestern Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Northwestern Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Northwestern Local'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 School
How many students attend Northwestern Elementary School?
Northwestern Elementary School has 632 students enrolled. It is a public school in West Salem, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwestern Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwestern Elementary School is 18.1:1, which is 1% lower than the Ohio average of 18.2:1 and 15% higher 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 Elementary School?
25.1% of students at Northwestern Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwestern Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Northwestern Elementary School is White at 94.5% of enrollment, in West Salem, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwestern Elementary School?
Northwestern Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Elementary School rank among public schools in West Salem?
By Resource Investment Index, Northwestern Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in West Salem, OH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in West Salem on the city page.
Is Northwestern Elementary School a good school?
Northwestern Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio median. 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 Local?
Besides Northwestern Elementary School, Northwestern Local also operates Northwestern High School (327 students) and Northwestern Middle School (284 students). See the Northwestern Local 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.