Enrollment
511
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 420636006998
Park El Sch — Columbia, PA
Federal NCES profile for Park El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 31
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 →
School address
District: Columbia Borough Sd · Pennsylvania
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)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.1%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Park El Sch compares with Pennsylvania 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
Park El Sch reports 511 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 71.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% above the Pennsylvania average and 37% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 511 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Columbia Borough Sd spends $21,759 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.9% from local sources (property taxes), 44.5% from the state, and 17.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), 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 Park El Sch compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Pennsylvania state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.6:1 | ▼ 7% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.1% | ▲ 22% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 511 | top 58% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
71.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 22% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 35% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
27.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$21,759
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 511 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 511 Top 58% in Pennsylvania — larger than 42% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 12.6:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 71.1% +22% vs state
NCES ID 420636006998
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 44.4%
White 34.1%
Two or More 11.9%
African American 8.0%
Asian 1.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 511:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.6%
In-school suspensions 8
Out-of-school suspensions 29
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia Borough Sd, which includes Park El Sch.
$21,759
Per student
-4%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.9%
State 44.5%
Federal 17.6%
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
- 397
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Columbia
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Park El Sch
How many students attend Park El Sch?
Park El Sch has 511 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Columbia, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Park El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Park El Sch is 12.6:1, which is 7% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Park El Sch?
71.1% of students at Park El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Park El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Park El Sch is Hispanic or Latino at 44.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbia, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Park El Sch?
Park El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) 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.