Enrollment
434
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 421857003511
Plainfield El Sch — Nazareth, PA
Federal NCES profile for Plainfield El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 50
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: Pen Argyl 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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.3%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Plainfield 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
Plainfield El Sch reports 434 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% below the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 49.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 15% below the Pennsylvania average and 5% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 434 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pen Argyl Area Sd spends $23,643 per pupil district-wide, above the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 61.1% from local sources (property taxes), 30.7% from the state, and 8.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), 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 Plainfield 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 11% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.3% | ▼ 15% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 434 | top 46% | — | — |
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
49.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 15% 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
12:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 26% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
20.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$23,643
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 434 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 434 Top 46% in Pennsylvania — larger than 54% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 12:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 49.3% -15% vs state
NCES ID 421857003511
Student demographics
White 78.8%
Hispanic or Latino 13.6%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 2.1%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 78.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 434:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pen Argyl Area Sd, which includes Plainfield El Sch.
$23,643
Per student
+4%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 61.1%
State 30.7%
Federal 8.2%
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
- 510
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Enrollment
- 475
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Nazareth
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Nazareth Area Intermediate Sch
Standard public school
752 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Lower Nazareth El Sch
Standard public school
615 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Kenneth N Butz Jr El Sch
Standard public school
576 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Shafer El Sch
Standard public school
559 students 14.3:1 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 Plainfield El Sch
How many students attend Plainfield El Sch?
Plainfield El Sch has 434 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Nazareth, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Plainfield El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Plainfield El Sch is 12:1, which is 11% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Plainfield El Sch?
49.3% of students at Plainfield El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Plainfield El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Plainfield El Sch is White at 78.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Nazareth, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Plainfield El Sch?
Plainfield El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) 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.