Enrollment
550
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 390480003076
South Elementary — Pataskala, OH
Federal NCES profile for South Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 18
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 40
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: Licking Heights Local · Ohio
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)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.4:1
vs 18.3:1 Ohio avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.9%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Elementary compares with Ohio 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 Elementary reports 550 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% above the Ohio state mean of 18.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 28% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 42.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% above the Ohio average and 17% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 550 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Licking Heights Local spends $11,771 per pupil district-wide, below the Ohio average of $16,867 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 57.8% from local sources (property taxes), 32.0% from the state, and 10.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), 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 Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Ohio state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.4:1 | ▲ 11% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.9% | ▲ 36% | 31.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 550 | top 74% | — | — |
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
42.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% above the Ohio average of 31.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20.4:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 78% in Ohio — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
24.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,771
per pupil, district-wide
— below Ohio avg of $16,867
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 550 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 550 Top 74% in Ohio — larger than 26% of 3,586 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 20.4:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 42.9% +36% vs state
NCES ID 390480003076
Student demographics
Asian 30.0%
African American 28.4%
White 27.3%
Hispanic or Latino 7.8%
Two or More 6.5%
Largest group: Asian at 30.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 550:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.0%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Licking Heights Local, which includes South Elementary.
$11,771
Per student
-30%
vs Ohio
Avg $16,867
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 57.8%
State 32.0%
Federal 10.2%
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
- 1,428
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 836
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 820
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Enrollment
- 745
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Enrollment
- 682
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Pataskala
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Licking Heights Central Intermediate School
Standard public school
836 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Watkins Intermediate School
Standard public school
801 students 22:1 students per teacher
Licking Heights North Elementary School
Standard public school
745 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Pataskala Elementary School
Standard public school
457 students 18.3:1 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 South Elementary
How many students attend South Elementary?
South Elementary has 550 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Pataskala, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at South Elementary is 20.4:1, which is 11% higher than the Ohio average of 18.3:1 and 28% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Elementary?
42.9% of students at South Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Elementary?
The largest demographic group at South Elementary is Asian at 30.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Pataskala, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Elementary?
South Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) 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.