Enrollment
434
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Nazareth, PA
Plainfield El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Plainfield El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 421857003511
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Plainfield El Sch earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #5 of 5
- elementary schools in Nazareth · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- students per teacher
- 49.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Plainfield El Sch has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Plainfield El Sch ranks #5 of 5 elementary schools in Nazareth, PA.
School address
District: Pen Argyl Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421857003511 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-9% 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
What stands out at Plainfield El Sch
Plainfield El Sch is a mid-sized elementary school in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, enrolling 434 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 49.3% lands close to the Pennsylvania typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 434 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Among 557 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #507, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 434 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 Nazareth's elementary schools, it stands alongside Nazareth Area Intermediate Sch (752 students): Plainfield El Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.4:1 vs 13.9:1).
Pen Argyl Area Sd also operates Wind Gap Ms (510 students) and Pen Argyl Area Hs (475 students) alongside Plainfield 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 Plainfield El Sch compares
Plainfield 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 9% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.3% | ▼ 15% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 434 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
434
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 35% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 65% 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
$18,661
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 35.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.8, Plainfield El Sch is about as mixed as the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pen Argyl Area Sd, which includes Plainfield El Sch.
$18,661
Per student
+4%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Plainfield El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind Gap Ms | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pen Argyl Area Hs | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Plainfield El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 510
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 475
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
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 15.8:1 students per teacher
Kenneth N Butz Jr El Sch
Standard public school
576 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Shafer El Sch
Standard public school
559 students 14.3:1 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 (~434 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Plainfield El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Plainfield El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Pen Argyl 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 Plainfield El Sch
How many students attend Plainfield El Sch?
Plainfield El Sch has 434 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Nazareth, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Plainfield El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Plainfield El Sch is 12.4:1, which is 9% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 21% 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 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% of enrollment, in Nazareth, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Plainfield El Sch?
Plainfield El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Plainfield El Sch rank among elementary schools in Nazareth?
By Resource Investment Index, Plainfield El Sch ranks #5 of 5 elementary schools in Nazareth, 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 Nazareth on the city page.
Is Plainfield El Sch a good school?
Plainfield El Sch earns 36/100 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 Pen Argyl Area Sd?
Besides Plainfield El Sch, Pen Argyl Area Sd also operates Wind Gap Ms (510 students) and Pen Argyl Area Hs (475 students). See the Pen Argyl 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.