Enrollment
209
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ridge, MD
Ridge Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Ridge Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240060001236
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ridge Elementary earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median.
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 46.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 209
- students enrolled
Ridge Elementary has class sizes near the Maryland median. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: St. Mary's County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240060001236 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.3%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ridge Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ridge Elementary
Ridge Elementary is a small combined-grade school in Ridge, Maryland, enrolling 209 students.
At 13.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Maryland median, within a few percentage points of the 14.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 46.3% lands close to the Maryland typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of Maryland schools, with 209 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 57 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #15.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Two or More (17%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 209 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding St. Mary's County Public Schools spends $16,038 per pupil, 22% below the Maryland average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
St. Mary's County Public Schools also operates Leonardtown High (2,118 students) and Great Mills High (1,697 students) alongside Ridge Elementary.
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 Ridge Elementary compares
Ridge Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.9:1 | ▼ 4% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.3% | ▼ 6% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 209 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
209
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 42% in Maryland - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
26.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,038
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 209 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 70.3%
Two or More 17.2%
African American 7.7%
Hispanic or Latino 3.8%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 70.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.9, Ridge Elementary is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Mary's County Public Schools, which includes Ridge Elementary.
$16,038
Per student
-22%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.1%
State 41.2%
Federal 13.6%
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 Ridge Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leonardtown High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Great Mills High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chopticon High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Leonardtown Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spring Ridge Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ridge Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,118
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,697
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,526
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 969
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 913
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~209 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ridge Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Ridge Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- St. Mary's County Public Schools'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 Ridge Elementary
How many students attend Ridge Elementary?
Ridge Elementary has 209 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ridge, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ridge Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ridge Elementary is 13.9:1, which is 4% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 11% 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 Ridge Elementary?
46.3% of students at Ridge Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ridge Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ridge Elementary is White at 70.3% of enrollment, in Ridge, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ridge Elementary?
Ridge Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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).
Is Ridge Elementary a good school?
Ridge Elementary earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median. 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 St. Mary's County Public Schools?
Besides Ridge Elementary, St. Mary's County Public Schools also operates Leonardtown High (2,118 students), Great Mills High (1,697 students), and Chopticon High (1,526 students). See the St. Mary's County Public Schools 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.