Enrollment
225
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Ellwood City, PA
Perry Lower Intrmd Sch
Federal NCES profile for Perry Lower Intrmd Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420924007372
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Perry Lower Intrmd Sch earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Ellwood City · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.3:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 56.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Perry Lower Intrmd Sch has class sizes smaller than 81% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Perry Lower Intrmd Sch ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Ellwood City, PA.
School address
District: Ellwood City Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420924007372 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Perry Lower Intrmd Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Perry Lower Intrmd Sch
Perry Lower Intrmd Sch is a higher-need, small elementary school in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, enrolling 225 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.0% lands close to the Pennsylvania typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 225 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 168 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #103.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 450 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Ellwood City's elementary schools, it stands alongside North Side Primary School (376 students): Perry Lower Intrmd Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.3:1 vs 13.4:1).
Ellwood City Area Sd also operates Lincoln Jshs (682 students) and North Side Primary School (376 students) alongside Perry Lower Intrmd 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 Perry Lower Intrmd Sch compares
Perry Lower Intrmd 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 17% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.0% | ▼ 4% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 225 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
225
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 19% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.0%
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
$18,132
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 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 88.0%
Two or More 7.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 88.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.8, Perry Lower Intrmd Sch is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ellwood City Area Sd, which includes Perry Lower Intrmd Sch.
$18,132
Per student
+1%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.6%
State 57.6%
Federal 9.8%
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 Perry Lower Intrmd Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Jshs | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Side Primary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hartman Intrmd Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Perry Lower Intrmd Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 682
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 376
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 225
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar elementary schools in Ellwood City
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~225 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Perry Lower Intrmd Sch's federal record.
- Compare Perry Lower Intrmd Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Ellwood City 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 Perry Lower Intrmd Sch
How many students attend Perry Lower Intrmd Sch?
Perry Lower Intrmd Sch has 225 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Ellwood City, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Perry Lower Intrmd Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Perry Lower Intrmd Sch is 11.3:1, which is 17% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 28% 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 Perry Lower Intrmd Sch?
56.0% of students at Perry Lower Intrmd Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Perry Lower Intrmd Sch?
The largest demographic group at Perry Lower Intrmd Sch is White at 88.0% of enrollment, in Ellwood City, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Perry Lower Intrmd Sch?
Perry Lower Intrmd Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical 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 Perry Lower Intrmd Sch rank among elementary schools in Ellwood City?
By Resource Investment Index, Perry Lower Intrmd Sch ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Ellwood City, 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 Ellwood City on the city page.
Is Perry Lower Intrmd Sch a good school?
Perry Lower Intrmd Sch earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of Pennsylvania 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 Ellwood City Area Sd?
Besides Perry Lower Intrmd Sch, Ellwood City Area Sd also operates Lincoln Jshs (682 students), North Side Primary School (376 students), and Hartman Intrmd Sch (225 students). See the Ellwood City 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.