Enrollment
559
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Nazareth, PA
Shafer El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Shafer El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 421638003493
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shafer El Sch earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #1 of 5
- elementary schools in Nazareth · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 32.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Shafer El Sch has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Shafer El Sch ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Nazareth, PA.
School address
District: Nazareth Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421638003493 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+5% 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
What stands out at Shafer El Sch
Shafer El Sch is a mid-sized elementary school in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, enrolling 559 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 559 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Among 689 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #552, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 559 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
17.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Nazareth's elementary schools, it stands alongside Nazareth Area Intermediate Sch (752 students): Shafer El Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.3:1 vs 13.9:1).
Nazareth Area Sd also operates Nazareth Area Hs (1,607 students) and Nazareth Area Ms (775 students) alongside Shafer El Sch.
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 Shafer El Sch compares
Shafer El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.3:1 | ▲ 5% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.6% | ▼ 44% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 559 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
559
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
- 5% above state mean
Top 66% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
17.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$17,107
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 42.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.7, Shafer El Sch is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nazareth Area Sd, which includes Shafer El Sch.
$17,107
Per student
-5%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Shafer El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nazareth Area Hs | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Nazareth Area Ms | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Nazareth Area Intermediate Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lower Nazareth El Sch | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kenneth N Butz Jr El Sch | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shafer El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,607
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 775
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 752
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 615
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 576
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 15.8:1 students per teacher
Kenneth N Butz Jr El Sch
Standard public school
576 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Plainfield El Sch
Standard public school
434 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~559 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shafer El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Shafer El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Nazareth Area Sd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Shafer El Sch
How many students attend Shafer El Sch?
Shafer El Sch has 559 students enrolled. It is an 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 5% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Nazareth, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shafer El Sch?
Shafer El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Shafer El Sch rank among elementary schools in Nazareth?
By Resource Investment Index, Shafer El Sch ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Nazareth, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Nazareth on the city page.
Is Shafer El Sch a good school?
Shafer El Sch earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania 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 Nazareth Area Sd?
Besides Shafer El Sch, Nazareth Area Sd also operates Nazareth Area Hs (1,607 students), Nazareth Area Ms (775 students), and Nazareth Area Intermediate Sch (752 students). See the Nazareth Area Sd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.