Enrollment
399
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 317527001481
Tara Heights Elementary School — Papillion, NE
Federal NCES profile for Tara Heights Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 67
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: Papillion La Vista Community Schools · Nebraska
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)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Nebraska avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.8%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tara Heights Elementary School compares with Nebraska 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
Tara Heights Elementary School reports 399 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% above the Nebraska state mean of 13.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 2% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% below the Nebraska average and 48% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 399 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Papillion La Vista Community Schools spends $13,821 per pupil district-wide, below the Nebraska average of $20,313 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 60.2% from local sources (property taxes), 32.0% from the state, and 7.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Tara Heights Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Nebraska state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.6:1 | ▲ 15% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.8% | ▼ 13% | 30.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 399 | top 75% | — | — |
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
26.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% below the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.6:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 77% in Nebraska — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,821
per pupil, district-wide
— below Nebraska avg of $20,313
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 399 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 399 Top 75% in Nebraska — larger than 25% of 1,010 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 15.6:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.8% -13% vs state
NCES ID 317527001481
Student demographics
White 76.4%
Hispanic or Latino 11.3%
Two or More 7.3%
African American 3.5%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 76.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 399:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.3%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Papillion La Vista Community Schools, which includes Tara Heights Elementary School.
$13,821
Per student
-32%
vs Nebraska
Avg $20,313
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 60.2%
State 32.0%
Federal 7.8%
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
- 2,038
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,867
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 719
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 635
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 522
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
Similar other schools in Papillion
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Prairie Queen Elementary
Standard public school
514 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Bell Elementary
Standard public school
488 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Walnut Creek Elementary
Standard public school
451 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Ashbury Elementary School
Standard public school
391 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Carriage Hill Elementary Sch
Standard public school
386 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Trumble Park Elementary School
Standard public school
364 students 14.5:1 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 Tara Heights Elementary School
How many students attend Tara Heights Elementary School?
Tara Heights Elementary School has 399 students enrolled. It is a other school in PAPILLION, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tara Heights Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tara Heights Elementary School is 15.6:1, which is 15% higher than the Nebraska average of 13.6:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tara Heights Elementary School?
26.8% of students at Tara Heights Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tara Heights Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Tara Heights Elementary School is White at 76.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in PAPILLION, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tara Heights Elementary School?
Tara Heights Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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.