Enrollment
459
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Trappe, PA
South El Sch
Federal NCES profile for South El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 67/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 421893003327
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 92
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South El Sch earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Pennsylvania schools.
- 67
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 17.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 459
- students enrolled
South El Sch has class sizes smaller than 75% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Perkiomen Valley Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421893003327 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at South El Sch
South El Sch is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Trappe, Pennsylvania, enrolling 459 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.0% free-meal eligibility runs 71% below the Pennsylvania average.
With 459 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 2,889 Pennsylvania schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 408 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #5, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Two or More (7%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 230 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 3.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Perkiomen Valley Sd also operates Perkiomen Valley Hs (1,616 students) and Perkiomen Valley Ms-East (592 students) alongside South 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 South El Sch compares
South 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 13% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.0% | ▼ 71% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 459 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
459
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 25% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
3.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$19,763
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 230 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 72.8%
Two or More 7.4%
Asian 7.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
African American 6.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 72.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.2, South 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 Perkiomen Valley Sd, which includes South El Sch.
$19,763
Per student
+10%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.7%
State 21.0%
Federal 4.3%
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 South El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perkiomen Valley Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Perkiomen Valley Ms-East | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Skippack El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Perkiomen Valley Ms-West | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Schwenksville El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,616
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 592
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 68/100
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 509
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 67/100
- Enrollment
- 474
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 66/100
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 (~459 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South El Sch's federal record.
- Compare South El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Perkiomen Valley 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 South El Sch
How many students attend South El Sch?
South El Sch has 459 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Trappe, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at South El Sch is 11.8:1, which is 13% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 25% 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 South El Sch?
17.0% of students at South El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South El Sch?
The largest demographic group at South El Sch is White at 72.8% of enrollment, in Trappe, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South El Sch?
South El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (higher 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).
Is South El Sch a good school?
South El Sch earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Pennsylvania schools. 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 Perkiomen Valley Sd?
Besides South El Sch, Perkiomen Valley Sd also operates Perkiomen Valley Hs (1,616 students), Perkiomen Valley Ms-East (592 students), and Skippack El Sch (557 students). See the Perkiomen Valley 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.