Enrollment
423
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Towanda, PA
Towanda Area El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Towanda Area El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 422355000997
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Towanda Area El Sch earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Towanda · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.2:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Towanda Area El Sch has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Towanda Area El Sch ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Towanda, PA.
School address
District: Towanda Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 422355000997 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Towanda Area El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Towanda Area El Sch
Towanda Area El Sch is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Towanda, Pennsylvania, enrolling 423 students.
At 13.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Pennsylvania median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 423 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 533 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #193.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 423 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Towanda Area Sd also operates Towanda Area Jshs (709 students) and Morrow El Sch (350 students) alongside Towanda Area El Sch.
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 Towanda Area El Sch compares
Towanda Area El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.2:1 | ▼ 3% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 423 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.2:1
Leaner classes than 65% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
423
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% 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
13.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 47% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
23.4%
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
$16,732
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 423 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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
White 93.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
African American 1.7%
Asian 1.2%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: White at 93.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.7, Towanda Area El Sch is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Towanda Area Sd, which includes Towanda Area El Sch.
$16,732
Per student
-7%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.8%
State 46.6%
Federal 11.6%
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 Towanda Area El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Towanda Area Jshs | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Morrow El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Towanda Area El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 709
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 350
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~423 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Towanda Area El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Towanda Area El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Towanda Area Sd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Towanda Area El Sch
How many students attend Towanda Area El Sch?
Towanda Area El Sch has 423 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Towanda, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Towanda Area El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Towanda Area El Sch is 13.2:1, which is 3% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 16% 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 Towanda Area El Sch?
100.0% of students at Towanda Area El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Towanda Area El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Towanda Area El Sch is White at 93.9% of enrollment, in Towanda, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Towanda Area El Sch?
Towanda Area El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical 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 Towanda Area El Sch rank among public schools in Towanda?
By Resource Investment Index, Towanda Area El Sch ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Towanda, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Towanda on the city page.
Is Towanda Area El Sch a good school?
Towanda Area El Sch earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania 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 Towanda Area Sd?
Besides Towanda Area El Sch, Towanda Area Sd also operates Towanda Area Jshs (709 students) and Morrow El Sch (350 students). See the Towanda Area Sd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.