Enrollment
85
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 180004302138 Charter school
Rural Community Academy — Sullivan, IN
Federal NCES profile for Rural Community Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
👥 Class size 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 80
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 →
The verdict
Rural Community Academy earns a C Resource Investment Index (56/100), with class sizes smaller than 94% of Indiana schools.
- C
- Resource Index · 56/100
- 10.6:1
- small classes for Indiana
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 85
- students enrolled
School address
District: Rural Community Schools Inc · 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)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-34% 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
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
Rural Community Academy reports 85 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 8.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 34% 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 15.7:1, it is 32% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 102% above the Indiana average and 93% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rural Community Schools Inc spends $12,924 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $12,079 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 10.2% from local sources (property taxes), 71.1% from the state, and 18.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C), calculated from 3 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 Rural Community Academy 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 | 10.6:1 | ▼ 34% | 16.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 102% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 85 | top 2% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
11 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 87% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
85 larger than 9% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 102% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.6:1
students per teacher
— 34% below state mean
Top 6% in Indiana — lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
8.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,924
per pupil, district-wide
— above Indiana avg of $12,079
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Overview
Enrollment 85 Top 2% in Indiana — larger than 98% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 8.0
Students per teacher 10.6:1 -34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +102% vs state
NCES ID 180004302138
Programs & staff
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.2%
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.
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 Rural Community Academy
How many students attend Rural Community Academy?
Rural Community Academy has 85 students enrolled. It is a 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 34% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 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 (C) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Rural Community Academy a good school?
Rural Community Academy earns a C Resource Investment Index (56/100), with class sizes smaller than 94% of Indiana schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.