Enrollment
401
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Portage, PA
Portage Area El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Portage Area El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 421956006771
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Portage Area El Sch earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- 63
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.5:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 50.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 401
- students enrolled
Portage Area El Sch has class sizes smaller than 79% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Portage Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421956006771 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.2%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Portage Area El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Portage Area El Sch
Portage Area El Sch is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Portage, Pennsylvania, enrolling 401 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 50.2% lands close to the Pennsylvania typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 401 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 2,889 Pennsylvania schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 504 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #8, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 11/100).
14.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Portage's public schools, it stands alongside Portage Area Jshs (339 students): Portage Area El Sch is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.5:1 vs 13.6:1).
Its district, Portage Area Sd, also runs Portage Area Jshs (339 students).
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 Portage Area El Sch compares
Portage Area 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 | 11.5:1 | ▼ 15% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.2% | ▼ 14% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 401 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
401
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 21% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
14.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$15,652
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 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 94.5%
Two or More 2.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.2%
Asian 0.5%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: White at 94.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.6, Portage Area El Sch is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Portage Area Sd, which includes Portage Area El Sch.
$15,652
Per student
-13%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.7%
State 67.9%
Federal 12.4%
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 Portage Area El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portage Area Jshs | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Portage Area El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 339
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools in Portage
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 Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~401 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Portage Area El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Portage Area El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Portage 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 Portage Area El Sch
How many students attend Portage Area El Sch?
Portage Area El Sch has 401 students enrolled. It is a public school in Portage, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Portage Area El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Portage Area El Sch is 11.5:1, which is 15% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 27% 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 Portage Area El Sch?
50.2% of students at Portage Area El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Portage Area El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Portage Area El Sch is White at 94.5% of enrollment, in Portage, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Portage Area El Sch?
Portage Area El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Portage Area El Sch a good school?
Portage Area El Sch earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Portage Area Sd?
Besides Portage Area El Sch, Portage Area Sd also operates Portage Area Jshs (339 students). See the Portage 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.