Enrollment
266
Rhode Island · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 440054000130
Sarah Dyer Barnes School — Johnston, RI
Federal NCES profile for Sarah Dyer Barnes School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 59
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
Sarah Dyer Barnes School earns a C- Resource Investment Index (52/100), with class sizes smaller than 87% of Rhode Island schools.
- C-
- Resource Index · 52/100
- 10.9:1
- small classes for Rhode Island
- 36.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 266
- students enrolled
School address
District: Johnston · Rhode Island
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
10.9:1
vs 13.4:1 Rhode Island avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.6%
vs 39.6% Rhode Island avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sarah Dyer Barnes School compares with Rhode Island 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
Sarah Dyer Barnes School reports 266 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% below the Rhode Island state mean of 13.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 31% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 36.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 8% below the Rhode Island average and 29% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 190 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Johnston spends $22,817 per pupil district-wide, below the Rhode Island average of $22,892 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 56.0% from local sources (property taxes), 33.5% from the state, and 10.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), 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 Sarah Dyer Barnes School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Rhode Island state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Rhode Island | Rhode Island avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.9:1 | ▼ 19% | 13.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.6% | ▼ 8% | 39.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 266 | top 29% | — | — |
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 86% 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')
266 larger than 28% 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
36.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 8% below the Rhode Island average of 39.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 13% in Rhode Island — lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.5%
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
$22,817
per pupil, district-wide
— below Rhode Island avg of $22,892
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.4 FTE
Per 190 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
Enrollment 266 Top 29% in Rhode Island — larger than 71% of 309 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 10.9:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 36.6% -8% vs state
NCES ID 440054000130
Student demographics
White 60.2%
Hispanic or Latino 25.9%
African American 8.3%
Two or More 3.0%
Asian 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 60.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.4
Students per counselor 190:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Johnston, which includes Sarah Dyer Barnes School.
$22,817
Per student
0%
vs Rhode Island
Avg $22,892
+17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 56.0%
State 33.5%
Federal 10.5%
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
- 826
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Enrollment
- 720
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 380
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 340
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 251
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Johnston
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Winsor Hill School
Standard public school
380 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Thornton School
Standard public school
340 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Brown Avenue School
Standard public school
251 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
Early Childhood Center
Standard public school
201 students 12.2:1 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 Sarah Dyer Barnes School
How many students attend Sarah Dyer Barnes School?
Sarah Dyer Barnes School has 266 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Johnston, RI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sarah Dyer Barnes School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sarah Dyer Barnes School is 10.9:1, which is 19% lower than the Rhode Island average of 13.4:1 and 31% 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 Sarah Dyer Barnes School?
36.6% of students at Sarah Dyer Barnes School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Rhode Island average of 39.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sarah Dyer Barnes School?
The largest demographic group at Sarah Dyer Barnes School is White at 60.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Johnston, RI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sarah Dyer Barnes School?
Sarah Dyer Barnes School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) 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.