Enrollment
521
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 181095001794
Spencer Elementary School — Spencer, IN
Federal NCES profile for Spencer Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 62/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 87
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: Spencer-Owen Community Schools · 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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.3%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spencer 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
Spencer Elementary School reports 521 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 57.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% above the Indiana average and 11% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 261 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Spencer-Owen Community Schools spends $14,954 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.1% from local sources (property taxes), 56.0% from the state, and 13.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (C+), 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 Spencer 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 14% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.3% | ▲ 16% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 521 | 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
57.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.9:1
students per teacher
— 14% below state mean
Top 27% in Indiana — lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
5.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$14,954
per pupil, district-wide
— above Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 261 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 521 Top 62% in Indiana — larger than 38% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 13.9:1 -14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 57.3% +16% vs state
NCES ID 181095001794
Student demographics
White 89.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Two or More 4.2%
Asian 1.5%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: White at 89.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 261:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.4%
In-school suspensions 24
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spencer-Owen Community Schools, which includes Spencer Elementary School.
$14,954
Per student
+3%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.1%
State 56.0%
Federal 13.8%
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
- 628
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 390
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 321
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 149
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 147
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
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 Spencer Elementary School
How many students attend Spencer Elementary School?
Spencer Elementary School has 521 students enrolled. It is a other school in Spencer, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spencer Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Spencer Elementary School is 13.9:1, which is 14% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Spencer Elementary School?
57.3% of students at Spencer Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spencer Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Spencer Elementary School is White at 89.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Spencer, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spencer Elementary School?
Spencer Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (C+) 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.