Enrollment
438
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 422529004813
Penn Wood El Sch — West Chester, PA
Federal NCES profile for Penn Wood El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 80
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: West Chester Area 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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.3%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-75% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Penn Wood 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
Penn Wood El Sch reports 438 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% above the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 12% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 14.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 75% below the Pennsylvania average and 72% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 438 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding West Chester Area Sd spends $21,545 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 80.2% from local sources (property taxes), 16.5% from the state, and 3.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), 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 Penn Wood 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 | 14:1 | ▲ 4% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.3% | ▼ 75% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 438 | top 47% | — | — |
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
14.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 75% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 59% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
8.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$21,545
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 438 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 438 Top 47% in Pennsylvania — larger than 53% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 14:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 14.3% -75% vs state
NCES ID 422529004813
Student demographics
White 79.7%
Asian 5.7%
Two or More 5.5%
African American 4.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.6%
Largest group: White at 79.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 438:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.2%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Chester Area Sd, which includes Penn Wood El Sch.
$21,545
Per student
-5%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 80.2%
State 16.5%
Federal 3.4%
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
- 1,444
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,216
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,159
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,040
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 930
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
Similar elementary schools in West Chester
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Sarah W Starkweather El Sch
Standard public school
576 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Hillsdale El Sch
Standard public school
537 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Westtown-Thornbury El Sch
Standard public school
529 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Pocopson El Sch
Standard public school
514 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Greystone El Sch
Standard public school
511 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
East Goshen El Sch
Standard public school
510 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
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 Penn Wood El Sch
How many students attend Penn Wood El Sch?
Penn Wood El Sch has 438 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in West Chester, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Penn Wood El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Penn Wood El Sch is 14:1, which is 4% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 12% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Penn Wood El Sch?
14.3% of students at Penn Wood El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Penn Wood El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Penn Wood El Sch is White at 79.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in West Chester, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Penn Wood El Sch?
Penn Wood El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) 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.