Enrollment
552
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 420333007030
Robert K Shafer Ms — Bensalem, PA
Federal NCES profile for Robert K Shafer Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 7
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: Bensalem Township 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)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.7%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Robert K Shafer Ms 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
Robert K Shafer Ms reports 552 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 43.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 58.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 1% above the Pennsylvania average and 13% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 276 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 37.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bensalem Township Sd spends $25,173 per pupil district-wide, above the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.9% from local sources (property taxes), 23.1% from the state, and 8.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Robert K Shafer Ms 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 | 14.2:1 | ▲ 5% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.7% | ▲ 1% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 552 | top 64% | — | — |
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
58.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 1% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 63% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
37.1%
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
$25,173
per pupil, district-wide
— above Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 276 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
62
in-school suspensions + 46 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 552 Top 64% in Pennsylvania — larger than 36% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 43.0
Students per teacher 14.2:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 58.7% +1% vs state
NCES ID 420333007030
Student demographics
White 47.1%
Hispanic or Latino 21.6%
African American 15.0%
Asian 12.9%
Two or More 3.4%
Largest group: White at 47.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 276:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 37.1%
In-school suspensions 62
Out-of-school suspensions 46
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bensalem Township Sd, which includes Robert K Shafer Ms.
$25,173
Per student
+11%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.9%
State 23.1%
Federal 8.0%
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
- 2,151
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 588
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 580
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 556
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 546
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
Similar middle schools in Bensalem
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Robert K Shafer Ms
How many students attend Robert K Shafer Ms?
Robert K Shafer Ms has 552 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Bensalem, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Robert K Shafer Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Robert K Shafer Ms is 14.2:1, which is 5% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Robert K Shafer Ms?
58.7% of students at Robert K Shafer Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Robert K Shafer Ms?
The largest demographic group at Robert K Shafer Ms is White at 47.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bensalem, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Robert K Shafer Ms?
Robert K Shafer Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.