Enrollment
537
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Lagrange, IN
Prairie Heights Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Heights Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 180930001524
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Heights Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Indiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools.
- #3 of 4
- elementary schools in Lagrange · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- large classes for Indiana
- 39.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairie Heights Elementary School has class sizes larger than 84% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Heights Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Lagrange, IN.
School address
District: Prairie Heights Community Sch Corp · Indiana
NCES ID 180930001524 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.8%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Heights Elementary School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie Heights Elementary School
Prairie Heights Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Lagrange, Indiana, enrolling 537 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 537 students, its enrollment sits close to the Indiana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Among 557 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Indiana schools statewide, it ranks #394, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 537 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Prairie Heights Community Sch Corp also operates Prairie Heights Sr High School (432 students) and Prairie Heights Middle School (377 students) alongside Prairie Heights Elementary School.
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 Prairie Heights Elementary School compares
Prairie Heights Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.5:1 | ▲ 16% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.8% | ▼ 20% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 537 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
537
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 84% in Indiana - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.6%
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
$11,671
per pupil, district-wide
- below Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 537 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 94.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
Two or More 2.2%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 94.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.5, Prairie Heights Elementary School is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Prairie Heights Community Sch Corp, which includes Prairie Heights Elementary School.
$11,671
Per student
-3%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.1%
State 58.9%
Federal 5.0%
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 Prairie Heights Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Heights Sr High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Prairie Heights Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie Heights Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~537 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Heights Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Heights Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Prairie Heights Community Sch Corp'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 Prairie Heights Elementary School
How many students attend Prairie Heights Elementary School?
Prairie Heights Elementary School has 537 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Lagrange, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Heights Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Heights Elementary School is 18.5:1, which is 16% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Prairie Heights Elementary School?
39.8% of students at Prairie Heights Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Heights Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Heights Elementary School is White at 94.0% of enrollment, in Lagrange, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Heights Elementary School?
Prairie Heights Elementary School 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 Prairie Heights Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Lagrange?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Heights Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Lagrange, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Lagrange on the city page.
Is Prairie Heights Elementary School a good school?
Prairie Heights Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Indiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana 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 Prairie Heights Community Sch Corp?
Besides Prairie Heights Elementary School, Prairie Heights Community Sch Corp also operates Prairie Heights Sr High School (432 students) and Prairie Heights Middle School (377 students). See the Prairie Heights Community Sch Corp 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.