Enrollment
523
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180219000262
South Central Elementary School — Union Mills, IN
Federal NCES profile for South Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 81
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: South Central Com School Corp · Indiana
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
19:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.9%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Central Elementary School compares with Indiana 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
South Central Elementary School reports 523 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 19% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 29% below the Indiana average and 33% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 523 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding South Central Com School Corp spends $13,031 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.0% from local sources (property taxes), 64.5% from the state, and 8.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 South Central Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19:1 | ▲ 18% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.9% | ▼ 29% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 523 | top 62% | — | — |
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
34.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 29% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 88% in Indiana — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,031
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 523 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 19 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 523 Top 62% in Indiana — larger than 38% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 19:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.9% -29% vs state
NCES ID 180219000262
Student demographics
White 93.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.4%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 93.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 523:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.8%
In-school suspensions 13
Out-of-school suspensions 20
Expulsions 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Central Com School Corp, which includes South Central Elementary School.
$13,031
Per student
-10%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.0%
State 64.5%
Federal 8.5%
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
- 463
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
Similar other schools in Union Mills
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 South Central Elementary School
How many students attend South Central Elementary School?
South Central Elementary School has 523 students enrolled. It is a other school in Union Mills, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Central Elementary School is 19:1, which is 18% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Central Elementary School?
34.9% of students at South Central Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Central Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at South Central Elementary School is White at 93.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Union Mills, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Central Elementary School?
South Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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.