Enrollment
893
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 181044001713
Pendleton Elementary School — Pendleton, IN
Federal NCES profile for Pendleton Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
📋 Attendance 90
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 →
The verdict
Pendleton Elementary School earns a D Resource Investment Index (49/100), with class sizes larger than 84% of Indiana schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 49/100
- 18.3:1
- large classes for Indiana
- 32.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 893
- students enrolled
School address
District: South Madison Com Sch Corp · Indiana
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)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.1%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pendleton Elementary School compares with Indiana 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
Pendleton Elementary School reports 893 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 46.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 15% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% below the Indiana average and 38% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 447 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 4.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding South Madison Com Sch Corp spends $11,561 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.6% from local sources (property taxes), 65.9% from the state, and 7.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 Pendleton Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.3:1 | ▲ 14% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.1% | ▼ 35% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 893 | top 90% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
18 smaller classes than 23% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
893 larger than 89% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
32.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.3:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 84% in Indiana — lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
4.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$11,561
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 447 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 893 Top 90% in Indiana — larger than 10% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 46.0
Students per teacher 18.3:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.1% -35% vs state
NCES ID 181044001713
Student demographics
White 88.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
Two or More 3.6%
African American 1.5%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 88.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 447:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 4.1%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Madison Com Sch Corp, which includes Pendleton Elementary School.
$11,561
Per student
-21%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 26.6%
State 65.9%
Federal 7.5%
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
- 1,502
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 858
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Enrollment
- 730
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Enrollment
- 687
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
Similar other schools in Pendleton
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Pendleton Elementary School
How many students attend Pendleton Elementary School?
Pendleton Elementary School has 893 students enrolled. It is a other school in Pendleton, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pendleton Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pendleton Elementary School is 18.3:1, which is 14% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pendleton Elementary School?
32.1% of students at Pendleton Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pendleton Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Pendleton Elementary School is White at 88.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Pendleton, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pendleton Elementary School?
Pendleton Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.