Enrollment
416
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 240051001131
Pointer Ridge Elementary — Bowie, MD
Federal NCES profile for Pointer Ridge Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 54
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: Prince George'S County Public Schools · Maryland
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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
+30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.9%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pointer Ridge Elementary compares with Maryland 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
Pointer Ridge Elementary reports 416 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% above the Maryland state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 51.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% above the Maryland average and 0% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 416 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Prince George'S County Public Schools spends $21,751 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $22,498 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.8% from local sources (property taxes), 51.1% from the state, and 12.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), 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 Pointer Ridge Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maryland state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.7:1 | ▲ 30% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.9% | ▲ 6% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 416 | top 30% | — | — |
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
51.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 6% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.7:1
students per teacher
— 30% above state mean
Top 96% in Maryland — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$21,751
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $22,498
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 416 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 416 Top 30% in Maryland — larger than 70% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 18.7:1 +30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 51.9% +6% vs state
NCES ID 240051001131
Student demographics
African American 71.6%
Hispanic or Latino 16.8%
White 4.1%
Asian 3.8%
Two or More 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 71.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 416:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.3%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Prince George'S County Public Schools, which includes Pointer Ridge Elementary.
$21,751
Per student
-3%
vs Maryland
Avg $22,498
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.8%
State 51.1%
Federal 12.1%
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
- 3,012
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,712
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,588
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,580
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,544
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Bowie
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Whitehall Elementary
Standard public school
485 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Tulip Grove Elementary
Standard public school
477 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Yorktown Elementary
Standard public school
396 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
High Bridge Elementary
Standard public school
394 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Kenilworth Elementary
Standard public school
364 students 14:1 students per teacher
Heather Hills Elementary
Standard public school
361 students 17.3:1 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 Pointer Ridge Elementary
How many students attend Pointer Ridge Elementary?
Pointer Ridge Elementary has 416 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Bowie, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pointer Ridge Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pointer Ridge Elementary is 18.7:1, which is 30% higher than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pointer Ridge Elementary?
51.9% of students at Pointer Ridge Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pointer Ridge Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pointer Ridge Elementary is African American at 71.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bowie, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pointer Ridge Elementary?
Pointer Ridge Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) 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.