Enrollment
271
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · South Hadley, MA
Plains Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Plains Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 251092001753
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Plains Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Massachusetts schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in South Hadley · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.4:1
- small classes for Massachusetts
- 271
- students enrolled
Plains Elementary has class sizes smaller than 75% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Plains Elementary ranks #2 of 5 public schools in South Hadley, MA.
School address
District: South Hadley · Massachusetts
NCES ID 251092001753 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Plains Elementary compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Plains Elementary
Plains Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in South Hadley, Massachusetts, enrolling 271 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 271 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 271 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among South Hadley's public schools, it stands alongside Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School (397 students): Plains Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (10.4:1 vs 9.2:1).
South Hadley also operates Michael E. Smith Middle School (505 students) and South Hadley High (479 students) alongside Plains Elementary.
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 Plains Elementary compares
Plains Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.4:1 | ▼ 15% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 271 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
271
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 25% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.6%
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
$18,249
per pupil, district-wide
- below Massachusetts avg of $22,458
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 271 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 68.3%
Hispanic or Latino 22.5%
Two or More 5.2%
African American 2.2%
Asian 1.8%
Largest group: White at 68.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.9, Plains Elementary is about as mixed as the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Hadley, which includes Plains Elementary.
$18,249
Per student
-19%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.2%
State 36.9%
Federal 8.9%
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 Plains Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael E. Smith Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Hadley High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mosier | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Plains Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 505
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 479
- Students per teacher
- 8.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 365
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other schools in South Hadley
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Massachusetts, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~271 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Plains Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Plains Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- South Hadley'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 Plains Elementary
How many students attend Plains Elementary?
Plains Elementary has 271 students enrolled. It is a public school in South Hadley, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Plains Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Plains Elementary is 10.4:1, which is 15% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 34% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Plains Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Plains Elementary is White at 68.3% of enrollment, in South Hadley, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Plains Elementary?
Plains Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Plains Elementary rank among public schools in South Hadley?
By Resource Investment Index, Plains Elementary ranks #2 of 5 public schools in South Hadley, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in South Hadley on the city page.
Is Plains Elementary a good school?
Plains Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Massachusetts 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 South Hadley?
Besides Plains Elementary, South Hadley also operates Michael E. Smith Middle School (505 students), South Hadley High (479 students), and Mosier (365 students). See the South Hadley 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.