Enrollment
438
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · West Chester, PA
Penn Wood El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Penn Wood El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 422529004813
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Penn Wood El Sch earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #3 of 12
- elementary schools in West Chester · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.3:1
- students per teacher
- 14.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Penn Wood El Sch has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Penn Wood El Sch ranks #3 of 12 elementary schools in West Chester, PA.
School address
District: West Chester Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 422529004813 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-2% 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
What stands out at Penn Wood El Sch
Penn Wood El Sch is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in West Chester, Pennsylvania, enrolling 438 students.
At 13.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Pennsylvania median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 14.3% free-meal eligibility runs 75% below the Pennsylvania average.
With 438 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 342 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #144.
Its student body is led by White (80%) and Asian (6%) (diversity index 35/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 438 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among West Chester's elementary schools, it stands alongside Sarah W Starkweather El Sch (576 students): Penn Wood El Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.3:1 vs 14:1).
West Chester Area Sd also operates West Chester Henderson Hs (1,444 students) and West Chester East Hs (1,216 students) alongside Penn Wood El Sch.
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 Penn Wood El Sch compares
Penn Wood El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.3:1 | ▼ 2% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.3% | ▼ 75% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 438 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
438
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 75% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 49% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
8.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$17,702
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 35.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.4, Penn Wood El Sch is about as mixed as the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Chester Area Sd, which includes Penn Wood El Sch.
$17,702
Per student
-1%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Penn Wood El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Chester Henderson Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Chester East Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Chester Bayard Rustin Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| E N Peirce Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| J R Fugett Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Penn Wood El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,444
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 1,216
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 1,159
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 1,040
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 930
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
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 students per teacher
Hillsdale El Sch
Standard public school
537 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Westtown-Thornbury El Sch
Standard public school
529 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Pocopson El Sch
Standard public school
514 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Greystone El Sch
Standard public school
511 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
East Goshen El Sch
Standard public school
510 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~438 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Penn Wood El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Penn Wood El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- West Chester Area Sd'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 Penn Wood El Sch
How many students attend Penn Wood El Sch?
Penn Wood El Sch has 438 students enrolled. It is an 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 13.3:1, which is 2% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 15% lower 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 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% of enrollment, 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 52/100 (higher 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 Penn Wood El Sch rank among elementary schools in West Chester?
By Resource Investment Index, Penn Wood El Sch ranks #3 of 12 elementary schools in West Chester, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in West Chester on the city page.
Is Penn Wood El Sch a good school?
Penn Wood El Sch earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania 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 West Chester Area Sd?
Besides Penn Wood El Sch, West Chester Area Sd also operates West Chester Henderson Hs (1,444 students), West Chester East Hs (1,216 students), and West Chester Bayard Rustin Hs (1,159 students). See the West Chester Area Sd 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.