Enrollment
461
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 420540001811
Rutherford El Sch — Harrisburg, PA
Federal NCES profile for Rutherford El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 58
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: Central Dauphin 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.5%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rutherford El Sch 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
Rutherford El Sch reports 461 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% 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 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 99.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 71% above the Pennsylvania average and 92% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Central Dauphin Sd spends $18,384 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.5% from local sources (property taxes), 22.6% from the state, and 8.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Rutherford El Sch 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 26% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.5% | ▲ 71% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 461 | top 51% | — | — |
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
99.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 71% 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
17:1
students per teacher
— 26% above state mean
Top 92% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$18,384
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 461 Top 51% in Pennsylvania — larger than 49% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 17:1 +26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 99.5% +71% vs state
NCES ID 420540001811
Student demographics
African American 28.2%
Asian 25.6%
White 20.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.0%
Two or More 10.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 28.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.7%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Central Dauphin Sd, which includes Rutherford El Sch.
$18,384
Per student
-19%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.5%
State 22.6%
Federal 8.9%
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
- 1,966
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,573
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 841
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 834
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 722
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Harrisburg
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Thomas W Holtzman Jr El Sch
Standard public school
792 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Sara Lindemuth El Sch
Standard public school
758 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
North Side El Sch
Standard public school
722 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Paxtonia El Sch
Standard public school
682 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
South Side El Sch
Standard public school
603 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
West Hanover El Sch
Standard public school
589 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
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 Rutherford El Sch
How many students attend Rutherford El Sch?
Rutherford El Sch has 461 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Harrisburg, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rutherford El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Rutherford El Sch is 17:1, which is 26% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rutherford El Sch?
99.5% of students at Rutherford El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rutherford El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Rutherford El Sch is African American at 28.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Harrisburg, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rutherford El Sch?
Rutherford El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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.