Enrollment
401
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 421956006771
Portage Area El Sch — Portage, PA
Federal NCES profile for Portage Area El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 61/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 65
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 →
The verdict
Portage Area El Sch earns a C+ Resource Investment Index (61/100), with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- C+
- Resource Index · 61/100
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 50.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 401
- students enrolled
School address
District: Portage 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
12.8:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-5% 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
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
Portage Area El Sch reports 401 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 14% below the Pennsylvania average and 3% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Portage Area Sd spends $17,375 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.7% from local sources (property taxes), 67.9% from the state, and 12.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+), calculated from 3 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 Portage Area 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 5% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.2% | ▼ 14% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 401 | top 40% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
13 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 71% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
401 larger than 48% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
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
12.8:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 37% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.2%
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
$17,375
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
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
Enrollment 401 Top 40% in Pennsylvania — larger than 60% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 12.8:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.2% -14% vs state
NCES ID 421956006771
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.2%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Portage Area Sd, which includes Portage Area El Sch.
$17,375
Per student
-24%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 339
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
Similar other schools in Portage
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Portage Area El Sch
How many students attend Portage Area El Sch?
Portage Area El Sch has 401 students enrolled. It is a other 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 12.8:1, which is 5% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 19% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Portage, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Portage Area El Sch?
Portage Area El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.