Enrollment
386
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 181170001872
Union Center Elementary School — Valparaiso, IN
Federal NCES profile for Union Center Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 96
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: Union Township School 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.3%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union Center Elementary School 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
Union Center Elementary School reports 386 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 69% below the Indiana average and 70% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 386 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 1.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Union Township School Corp spends $15,702 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.3% from local sources (property taxes), 53.7% from the state, and 6.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), 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 Union Center Elementary School 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 | 18.8:1 | ▲ 17% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.3% | ▼ 69% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 386 | top 38% | — | — |
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
15.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 69% 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
18.8:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 87% in Indiana — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
1.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$15,702
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 386 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 386 Top 38% in Indiana — larger than 62% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 18.8:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.3% -69% vs state
NCES ID 181170001872
Student demographics
White 81.6%
Hispanic or Latino 12.2%
Two or More 3.4%
African American 2.6%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 81.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 386:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 1.6%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union Township School Corp, which includes Union Center Elementary School.
$15,702
Per student
+8%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.3%
State 53.7%
Federal 6.0%
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
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 280
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Valparaiso
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Cooks Corners Elementary School
Standard public school
487 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
Heavilin Elementary School
Standard public school
479 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Flint Lake Elementary School
Standard public school
476 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Memorial Elementary School
Standard public school
434 students 21.7:1 students per teacher
Jackson Elementary School
Standard public school
348 students 15:1 students per teacher
Washington Twp Elementary School
Standard public school
339 students 18.3:1 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 Union Center Elementary School
How many students attend Union Center Elementary School?
Union Center Elementary School has 386 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Valparaiso, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union Center Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Union Center Elementary School is 18.8:1, which is 17% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Union Center Elementary School?
15.3% of students at Union Center Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union Center Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Union Center Elementary School is White at 81.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Valparaiso, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union Center Elementary School?
Union Center Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) 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.