Enrollment
559
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 421638003493
Shafer El Sch — Nazareth, PA
Federal NCES profile for Shafer El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 56
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: Nazareth Area 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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.6%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shafer 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
Shafer El Sch reports 559 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 10% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 44% below the Pennsylvania average and 37% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 559 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Nazareth Area Sd spends $20,909 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 72.2% from local sources (property taxes), 23.4% from the state, and 4.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), 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 Shafer 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 | 14.3:1 | ▲ 6% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.6% | ▼ 44% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 559 | top 65% | — | — |
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
32.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 44% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 64% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.7%
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
$20,909
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 559 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 559 Top 65% in Pennsylvania — larger than 35% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 14.3:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.6% -44% vs state
NCES ID 421638003493
Student demographics
White 73.7%
Hispanic or Latino 15.7%
Two or More 6.3%
Asian 2.5%
African American 1.8%
Largest group: White at 73.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 559:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nazareth Area Sd, which includes Shafer El Sch.
$20,909
Per student
-8%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 72.2%
State 23.4%
Federal 4.4%
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
- 1,607
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 775
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 752
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 615
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 576
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Nazareth
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Nazareth Area Intermediate Sch
Standard public school
752 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Lower Nazareth El Sch
Standard public school
615 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Kenneth N Butz Jr El Sch
Standard public school
576 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Plainfield El Sch
Standard public school
434 students 12:1 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 Shafer El Sch
How many students attend Shafer El Sch?
Shafer El Sch has 559 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Nazareth, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shafer El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Shafer El Sch is 14.3:1, which is 6% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Shafer El Sch?
32.6% of students at Shafer El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shafer El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Shafer El Sch is White at 73.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Nazareth, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shafer El Sch?
Shafer El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) 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.