Other / mixed grade configuration · Baltimore, MD

Sandalwood Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Sandalwood Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240012000469
0/100100/10043/100
👥 S:T ratio
47
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
56
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Sandalwood Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median.

#30 of 177
schools in Baltimore · Resource Index
43
Resource Index · Typical
13.3:1
students per teacher
73.3%
free-lunch eligible

Sandalwood Elementary has class sizes near the Maryland median. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Sandalwood Elementary ranks #30 of 177 schools in Baltimore, MD.

Enrollment

440

Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

33.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13.3:1

vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg

-8% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

73.3%

vs 49.0% Maryland avg

+50% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Sandalwood Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Sandalwood Elementary

Sandalwood Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Baltimore, Maryland, enrolling 440 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 73.3% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 440 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,382 scored Maryland schools.

Against 269 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #57.

Its student body is led by African American (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 45/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 220 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Baltimore's public schools, it stands alongside Roland Park Elementary/Middle (1,371 students): Sandalwood Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.3:1 vs 19.6:1).

Baltimore County Public Schools also operates Dundalk High (2,087 students) and Perry Hall High (2,012 students) alongside Sandalwood 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 Sandalwood Elementary compares

Sandalwood 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 13.3:1 ▼ 8% 14.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 73.3% ▲ 50% 49.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 440 top 66% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
440
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
73.3%
free-lunch eligible - 50% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.3:1
students per teacher - 8% below state mean
Top 34% in Maryland - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
60.0%
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
$16,538
per pupil, district-wide - below Maryland avg of $20,446
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 220 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

African American 71.6%
Hispanic or Latino 16.6%
Two or More 7.0%
White 3.6%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Largest group: African American at 71.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 45.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 45.4, Sandalwood Elementary is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Baltimore County Public Schools, which includes Sandalwood Elementary.

$16,538
Per student
-19%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.3%
State 40.7%
Federal 12.0%

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.

How Sandalwood Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Dundalk High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Perry Hall High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Woodlawn High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Kenwood High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Dulaney High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Sandalwood Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Baltimore County Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Baltimore

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Sandalwood Elementary's federal record.

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 Sandalwood Elementary

How many students attend Sandalwood Elementary?

Sandalwood Elementary has 440 students enrolled. It is a public school in Baltimore, MD.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Sandalwood Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Sandalwood Elementary is 13.3:1, which is 8% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 15% 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 Sandalwood Elementary?

73.3% of students at Sandalwood Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sandalwood Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Sandalwood Elementary is African American at 71.6% of enrollment, in Baltimore, MD.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Sandalwood Elementary?

Sandalwood Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical 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).

How does Sandalwood Elementary rank among schools in Baltimore?

By Resource Investment Index, Sandalwood Elementary ranks #30 of 177 schools in Baltimore, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Baltimore on the city page.

Is Sandalwood Elementary a good school?

Sandalwood Elementary earns 43/100 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 Baltimore County Public Schools?

Besides Sandalwood Elementary, Baltimore County Public Schools also operates Dundalk High (2,087 students), Perry Hall High (2,012 students), and Woodlawn High (1,922 students). See the Baltimore County Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.