Enrollment
432
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 180930001526
Prairie Heights Sr High School — Lagrange, IN
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Heights Sr High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 46
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 44
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: Prairie Heights Community Sch Corp · Indiana
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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.5%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Heights Sr High School compares with Indiana 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
Prairie Heights Sr High School reports 432 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 37.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% below the Indiana average and 28% below the national baseline. The school offers 5 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 216 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Prairie Heights Community Sch Corp spends $14,128 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.1% from local sources (property taxes), 58.9% from the state, and 5.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Prairie Heights Sr High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▼ 17% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.5% | ▼ 24% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 432 | top 46% | — | — |
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
37.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 24% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
— 17% below state mean
Top 21% in Indiana — lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
22.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,128
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 216 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
45
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 432 Top 46% in Indiana — larger than 54% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 13.4:1 -17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 37.5% -24% vs state
NCES ID 180930001526
Student demographics
White 90.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
Two or More 2.3%
African American 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 90.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 216:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.5%
In-school suspensions 45
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Expulsions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Prairie Heights Community Sch Corp, which includes Prairie Heights Sr High School.
$14,128
Per student
-3%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 537
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
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 Prairie Heights Sr High School
How many students attend Prairie Heights Sr High School?
Prairie Heights Sr High School has 432 students enrolled. It is a high school in LaGrange, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Heights Sr High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Heights Sr High School is 13.4:1, which is 17% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 16% 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 Prairie Heights Sr High School?
37.5% of students at Prairie Heights Sr High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Heights Sr High School?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Heights Sr High School is White at 90.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in LaGrange, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Heights Sr High School?
Prairie Heights Sr High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.