Enrollment
509
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 240012000476
Sparks Elementary — Sparks, MD
Federal NCES profile for Sparks Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 78
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: Baltimore County Public Schools · Maryland
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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.6%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-78% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sparks Elementary compares with Maryland 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
Sparks Elementary reports 509 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% above the Maryland state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 7% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 10.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 78% below the Maryland average and 80% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 509 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Baltimore County Public Schools spends $18,242 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $22,498 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.3% from local sources (property taxes), 40.7% from the state, and 12.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Sparks Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maryland state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▲ 3% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.6% | ▼ 78% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 509 | top 47% | — | — |
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
10.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 78% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 53% in Maryland — lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
9.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$18,242
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $22,498
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 509 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 509 Top 47% in Maryland — larger than 53% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 14.8:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 10.6% -78% vs state
NCES ID 240012000476
Student demographics
White 78.6%
Asian 8.8%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
African American 3.3%
Two or More 2.6%
Largest group: White at 78.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 509:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Baltimore County Public Schools, which includes Sparks Elementary.
$18,242
Per student
-19%
vs Maryland
Avg $22,498
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 47.3%
State 40.7%
Federal 12.0%
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
- 2,087
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,012
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,922
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,900
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,889
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
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 Sparks Elementary
How many students attend Sparks Elementary?
Sparks Elementary has 509 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Sparks, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sparks Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sparks Elementary is 14.8:1, which is 3% higher than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sparks Elementary?
10.6% of students at Sparks Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sparks Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sparks Elementary is White at 78.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sparks, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sparks Elementary?
Sparks Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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.