Enrollment
577
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 181071001407
Sugar Creek Elementary Sch — New Palestine, IN
Federal NCES profile for Sugar Creek Elementary Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 22
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 88
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: Southern Hancock Co Com Sch Corp · 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.5:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.7%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sugar Creek Elementary Sch 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
Sugar Creek Elementary Sch reports 577 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 23% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% below the Indiana average and 48% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 577 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Southern Hancock Co Com Sch Corp spends $13,294 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.1% from local sources (property taxes), 61.5% from the state, and 7.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Sugar Creek Elementary Sch 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 | 19.5:1 | ▲ 21% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.7% | ▼ 46% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 577 | top 70% | — | — |
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
26.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.5:1
students per teacher
— 21% above state mean
Top 91% in Indiana — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
5.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,294
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 577 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 577 Top 70% in Indiana — larger than 30% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 19.5:1 +21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.7% -46% vs state
NCES ID 181071001407
Student demographics
White 88.4%
Hispanic or Latino 6.8%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 0.9%
African American 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 88.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 577:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.0%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southern Hancock Co Com Sch Corp, which includes Sugar Creek Elementary Sch.
$13,294
Per student
-9%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.1%
State 61.5%
Federal 7.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,254
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 605
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 579
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Enrollment
- 338
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
Similar other schools in New Palestine
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Sugar Creek Elementary Sch
How many students attend Sugar Creek Elementary Sch?
Sugar Creek Elementary Sch has 577 students enrolled. It is a other school in New Palestine, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sugar Creek Elementary Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Sugar Creek Elementary Sch is 19.5:1, which is 21% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sugar Creek Elementary Sch?
26.7% of students at Sugar Creek Elementary Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sugar Creek Elementary Sch?
The largest demographic group at Sugar Creek Elementary Sch is White at 88.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in New Palestine, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sugar Creek Elementary Sch?
Sugar Creek Elementary Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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.