Other / mixed grade configuration · Baltimore, MD

The Belair-Edison School

Federal NCES profile for The Belair-Edison School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240009000161Charter school
0/100100/10029/100
👥 S:T ratio
46
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

The Belair-Edison School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools.

#127 of 177
schools in Baltimore · Resource Index
29
Resource Index · Lower
13.6:1
students per teacher
86.8%
free-lunch eligible

The Belair-Edison School has class sizes near the Maryland median. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, The Belair-Edison School ranks #127 of 177 schools in Baltimore, MD.

Enrollment

911

Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

67.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13.6:1

vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg

-6% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

86.8%

vs 49.0% Maryland avg

+77% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How The Belair-Edison School compares with Maryland and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at The Belair-Edison School

The Belair-Edison School is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Baltimore, Maryland, enrolling 911 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 86.8% of students qualify for free meals, 77% above the Maryland average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

Enrollment of 911 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 1,382 Maryland schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 73 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Maryland schools statewide, it ranks #57, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is predominantly African American (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 17/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 911 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 63.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 15.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Baltimore's public schools, it stands alongside Roland Park Elementary/Middle (1,371 students): The Belair-Edison School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.6:1 vs 19.6:1).

Baltimore City Public Schools also operates Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High (1,714 students) and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (1,632 students) alongside The Belair-Edison School.

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 The Belair-Edison School compares

The Belair-Edison School on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Maryland Maryland avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 13.6:1 ▼ 6% 14.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 86.8% ▲ 77% 49.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 911 top 16% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
911
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
86.8%
free-lunch eligible - 77% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.6:1
students per teacher - 6% below state mean
Top 37% in Maryland - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
63.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,272
per pupil, district-wide - below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 911 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 44 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 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

African American 91.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.4%
Two or More 2.7%
White 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Largest group: African American at 91.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 16.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 16.8, The Belair-Edison School is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Baltimore City Public Schools, which includes The Belair-Edison School.

$18,272
Per student
-11%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.3%
State 51.4%
Federal 15.3%

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.

How The Belair-Edison School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Baltimore City College Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Kipp Harmony Academy Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Roland Park Elementary/Middle Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to The Belair-Edison School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Baltimore City Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Baltimore

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on The Belair-Edison School's federal record.

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 The Belair-Edison School

How many students attend The Belair-Edison School?

The Belair-Edison School has 911 students enrolled. It is a public school in Baltimore, MD.

What is the student-teacher ratio at The Belair-Edison School?

The student-teacher ratio at The Belair-Edison School is 13.6:1, which is 6% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at The Belair-Edison School?

86.8% of students at The Belair-Edison School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Belair-Edison School?

The largest demographic group at The Belair-Edison School is African American at 91.0% of enrollment, in Baltimore, MD.

What is the Resource Investment Index for The Belair-Edison School?

The Belair-Edison School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower 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).

How does The Belair-Edison School rank among schools in Baltimore?

By Resource Investment Index, The Belair-Edison School ranks #127 of 177 schools in Baltimore, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Baltimore on the city page.

Is The Belair-Edison School a good school?

The Belair-Edison School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools. 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 City Public Schools?

Besides The Belair-Edison School, Baltimore City Public Schools also operates Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High (1,714 students), Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (1,632 students), and Baltimore City College (1,470 students). See the Baltimore City Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.