Enrollment
509
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Sparks, MD
Sparks Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Sparks Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 240012000476
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sparks Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.9:1
- students per teacher
- 10.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 509
- students enrolled
Sparks Elementary has class sizes near the Maryland median. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Baltimore County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240012000476 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
+10% 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
What stands out at Sparks Elementary
Sparks Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Sparks, Maryland, enrolling 509 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.6% free-meal eligibility runs 78% below the Maryland average.
With 509 students, its enrollment sits close to the Maryland median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 161 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #86.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Asian (9%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 509 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Baltimore County Public Schools also operates Dundalk High (2,087 students) and Perry Hall High (2,012 students) alongside Sparks Elementary.
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 Sparks Elementary compares
Sparks Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.9:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.6% | ▼ 78% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 509 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.9:1
Leaner classes than 39% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
509
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 78% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
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
15.9:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 69% in Maryland - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
9.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$16,538
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 36.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.8, Sparks Elementary is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Baltimore County Public Schools, which includes Sparks Elementary.
$16,538
Per student
-19%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Sparks Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dundalk High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Perry Hall High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Woodlawn High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kenwood High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dulaney High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sparks Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,087
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 2,012
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,922
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,900
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,889
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~509 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sparks Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Sparks Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Baltimore County Public Schools'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 Sparks Elementary
How many students attend Sparks Elementary?
Sparks Elementary has 509 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Sparks, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sparks Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sparks Elementary is 15.9:1, which is 10% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Sparks, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sparks Elementary?
Sparks Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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).
Is Sparks Elementary a good school?
Sparks Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland 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 Baltimore County Public Schools?
Besides Sparks Elementary, Baltimore County Public Schools also operates Dundalk High (2,087 students), Perry Hall High (2,012 students), and Woodlawn High (1,922 students). See the Baltimore County Public Schools 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.