Enrollment
320
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 422406002709
Union Memorial El Sch — New Castle, PA
Federal NCES profile for Union Memorial El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 74
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 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)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.5%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union Memorial 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
Union Memorial El Sch reports 320 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 24% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 64.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% above the Pennsylvania average and 25% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Union Area Sd spends $19,300 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.6% from local sources (property taxes), 54.8% from the state, and 10.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), calculated from 3 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 Memorial 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 10% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.5% | ▲ 11% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 320 | top 26% | — | — |
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
64.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% 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
12.1:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 27% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
10.3%
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
$19,300
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 320 Top 26% in Pennsylvania — larger than 74% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 12.1:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 64.5% +11% vs state
NCES ID 422406002709
Student demographics
White 78.4%
Two or More 11.6%
African American 9.1%
Hispanic or Latino 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 78.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union Area Sd, which includes Union Memorial El Sch.
$19,300
Per student
-15%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.6%
State 54.8%
Federal 10.5%
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
- 193
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Enrollment
- 174
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
Similar other schools in New Castle
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Memorial El Sch
How many students attend Union Memorial El Sch?
Union Memorial El Sch has 320 students enrolled. It is a other school in New Castle, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union Memorial El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Union Memorial El Sch is 12.1:1, which is 10% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 24% 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 Union Memorial El Sch?
64.5% of students at Union Memorial El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union Memorial El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Union Memorial El Sch is White at 78.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in New Castle, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union Memorial El Sch?
Union Memorial El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.