Enrollment
238
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 420357006633
Thomas Jefferson El Sch — Bethlehem, PA
Federal NCES profile for Thomas Jefferson El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 20
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: Bethlehem Area Sd · Pennsylvania
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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.1%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas Jefferson El Sch compares with Pennsylvania 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
Thomas Jefferson El Sch reports 238 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% below the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 30% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 74.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% above the Pennsylvania average and 43% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 238 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bethlehem Area Sd spends $23,760 per pupil district-wide, above the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 64.1% from local sources (property taxes), 24.8% from the state, and 11.2% 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 Thomas Jefferson El Sch compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Pennsylvania state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.2:1 | ▼ 17% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.1% | ▲ 28% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 238 | top 14% | — | — |
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
74.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 28% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.2:1
students per teacher
— 17% below state mean
Top 16% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
31.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$23,760
per pupil, district-wide
— above Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 238 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 238 Top 14% in Pennsylvania — larger than 86% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 11.2:1 -17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 74.1% +28% vs state
NCES ID 420357006633
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 51.7%
White 28.6%
African American 13.9%
Asian 2.9%
Two or More 2.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 51.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 238:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.9%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bethlehem Area Sd, which includes Thomas Jefferson El Sch.
$23,760
Per student
+4%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 64.1%
State 24.8%
Federal 11.2%
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
- 2,541
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,792
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 966
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 715
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Bethlehem
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Southern Lehigh Intermediate Sch
Standard public school
702 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Spring Garden El Sch
Standard public school
532 students 13:1 students per teacher
Lehigh Valley Dual Language Cs
Standard public school
457 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Governor Wolf El Sch
Standard public school
432 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Clearview El Sch
Standard public school
384 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Lincoln El Sch
Standard public school
355 students 12.3:1 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 Thomas Jefferson El Sch
How many students attend Thomas Jefferson El Sch?
Thomas Jefferson El Sch has 238 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Bethlehem, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas Jefferson El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas Jefferson El Sch is 11.2:1, which is 17% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 30% 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 Thomas Jefferson El Sch?
74.1% of students at Thomas Jefferson El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas Jefferson El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Thomas Jefferson El Sch is Hispanic or Latino at 51.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bethlehem, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas Jefferson El Sch?
Thomas Jefferson El Sch 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.