Enrollment
85
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Sullivan, IN
Rural Community Academy
Federal NCES profile for Rural Community Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 180004302138Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rural Community Academy earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Indiana schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Indiana.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Sullivan · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.6:1
- small classes for Indiana
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Rural Community Academy has class sizes smaller than 94% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rural Community Academy ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Sullivan, IN.
School address
District: Rural Community Schools Inc · Indiana
NCES ID 180004302138 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+102% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rural Community Academy compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rural Community Academy
Rural Community Academy is a high-poverty, small charter elementary school in Sullivan, Indiana, enrolling 85 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.6:1, Rural Community Academy is leaner than roughly 94% of Indiana schools and 33% under the state's 15.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 100.0% of students qualify for free meals, 102% above the Indiana average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 98% of Indiana schools, with 85 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 1,862 Indiana schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 18.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Rural Community Schools Inc is a single-school charter district, so Rural Community Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates. At 85 students, it is also a small operation, on the smaller end of Indiana's single-school districts.
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 Rural Community Academy compares
Rural Community Academy on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.6:1 | ▼ 33% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 102% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 85 | top 98% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.6:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
85
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 102% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.6:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 6% in Indiana - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
8.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,924
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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.
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.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rural Community Schools Inc, which includes Rural Community Academy.
$12,924
Per student
+7%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 10.2%
State 71.1%
Federal 18.7%
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.
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 (~85 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rural Community Academy's federal record.
- Compare Rural Community Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Rural Community Schools Inc'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 Rural Community Academy
How many students attend Rural Community Academy?
Rural Community Academy has 85 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Sullivan, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rural Community Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Rural Community Academy is 10.6:1, which is 33% lower than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 32% 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 Rural Community Academy?
100.0% of students at Rural Community Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rural Community Academy?
Rural Community Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Rural Community Academy rank among public schools in Sullivan?
By Resource Investment Index, Rural Community Academy ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Sullivan, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Sullivan on the city page.
Is Rural Community Academy a good school?
Rural Community Academy earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Indiana schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Indiana. 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 Rural Community Schools Inc?
None; Rural Community Schools Inc is a single-school charter district, and Rural Community Academy is its only campus.
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.