Enrollment
843
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Dayton, OH
Pathway School of Discovery
Federal NCES profile for Pathway School of Discovery, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 10/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 390012904179Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pathway School of Discovery earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Ohio schools.
- #31 of 31
- elementary schools in Dayton · Resource Index
- 10
- Resource Index · Lower
- 77.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 843
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Pathway School of Discovery ranks #31 of 31 elementary schools in Dayton, OH.
School address
District: Pathway School of Discovery · Ohio
NCES ID 390012904179 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
77.7%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
+146% vs state
What stands out at Pathway School of Discovery
Pathway School of Discovery is a high-poverty, large charter elementary school in Dayton, Ohio, enrolling 843 students.
Economic need is high: 77.7% of students qualify for free meals, 146% above the Ohio average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Ohio, bigger than 91% of state schools at 843 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 3,574 Ohio schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 24 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Ohio schools statewide, it ranks #24, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (36%) and White (35%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 843 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Pathway School of Discovery spends $11,205 per pupil, 24% below the Ohio average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 20.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Dayton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Deca Prep (950 students): Pathway School of Discovery is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Pathway School of Discovery is a single-school charter district, so Pathway School of Discovery operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Pathway School of Discovery compares
Pathway School of Discovery on the metrics families compare, against Ohio and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.7% | ▲ 146% | 31.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 843 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
843
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 146% above the Ohio average of 31.6%
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.
Engagement
41.0%
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
$11,205
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 843 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 159 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.9 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 35.5%
White 34.5%
Two or More 17.7%
Hispanic or Latino 10.8%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 35.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.2, Pathway School of Discovery is more mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pathway School of Discovery, which includes Pathway School of Discovery.
$11,205
Per student
-24%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 5.0%
State 74.7%
Federal 20.3%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Dayton
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Deca Prep
Standard public school
950 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Emerson Academy
Standard public school
674 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Smith Middle School
Standard public school
642 students 25.7:1 students per teacher
North Dayton School of Science & Discovery
Standard public school
586 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Dayton Leadership Academies-Dayton View Campus
Standard public school
552 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Klepinger Community School
Standard public school
540 students 60:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pathway School of Discovery's federal record.
- Compare Pathway School of Discovery against another school. Compare schools
- Pathway School of Discovery'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 Pathway School of Discovery
How many students attend Pathway School of Discovery?
Pathway School of Discovery has 843 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Dayton, OH.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pathway School of Discovery?
77.7% of students at Pathway School of Discovery are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pathway School of Discovery?
The largest demographic group at Pathway School of Discovery is African American at 35.5% of enrollment, in Dayton, OH. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pathway School of Discovery?
Pathway School of Discovery has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pathway School of Discovery rank among elementary schools in Dayton?
By Resource Investment Index, Pathway School of Discovery ranks #31 of 31 elementary schools in Dayton, OH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Dayton on the city page.
Is Pathway School of Discovery a good school?
Pathway School of Discovery earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Ohio 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 Pathway School of Discovery?
None; Pathway School of Discovery is a single-school charter district, and Pathway School of Discovery is its only campus.
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.