Enrollment
107
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Philadelphia, PA
Universal Vare Cs
Federal NCES profile for Universal Vare Cs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420085507421Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 79
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Universal Vare Cs earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Pennsylvania.
- #26 of 131
- elementary schools in Philadelphia · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.7:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 90.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Universal Vare Cs has class sizes smaller than 93% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Universal Vare Cs ranks #26 of 131 elementary schools in Philadelphia, PA.
School address
District: Universal Vare Cs · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420085507421 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.7:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
90.7%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Universal Vare Cs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Universal Vare Cs
Universal Vare Cs is a high-poverty, small charter elementary school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, enrolling 107 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.7:1, Universal Vare Cs is leaner than roughly 93% of Pennsylvania schools and 29% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 90.7% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 96% of Pennsylvania schools, with 107 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 46 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #31.
Its student body is led by African American (65%) and Asian (20%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 107 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 76.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Universal Vare Cs spends $21,835 per pupil, 22% above the Pennsylvania average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 42.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Philadelphia's elementary schools, it stands alongside Northeast Community Propel Academy (1,783 students): Universal Vare Cs is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.7:1 vs 22.6:1).
Universal Vare Cs is a single-school charter district, so Universal Vare Cs operates independently rather than alongside district-mates. At 107 students, it is also a small operation, on the smaller end of Pennsylvania's single-school districts.
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 Universal Vare Cs compares
Universal Vare Cs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.7:1 | ▼ 29% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 90.7% | ▲ 56% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 107 | top 96% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.7:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
107
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
90.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% 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
9.7:1
students per teacher
- 29% below state mean
Top 7% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
76.6%
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
$21,835
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 107 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
- 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 64.5%
Asian 19.6%
Hispanic or Latino 10.3%
Two or More 3.7%
White 1.9%
Largest group: African American at 64.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.3, Universal Vare Cs is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Universal Vare Cs, which includes Universal Vare Cs.
$21,835
Per student
+22%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.5%
State 0.8%
Federal 42.7%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Philadelphia
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Northeast Community Propel Academy
Standard public school
1,783 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Mayfair Sch
Standard public school
1,763 students 21:1 students per teacher
Solis-Cohen Solomon Sch
Standard public school
1,350 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Mast Community Cs Iii
Standard public school
1,290 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Moore J Hampton Sch
Standard public school
1,192 students 17:1 students per teacher
Farrell Louis H Sch
Standard public school
1,187 students 18:1 students per teacher
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 (~107 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Universal Vare Cs's federal record.
- Compare Universal Vare Cs against another school. Compare schools
- Universal Vare Cs'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 Universal Vare Cs
How many students attend Universal Vare Cs?
Universal Vare Cs has 107 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Philadelphia, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Universal Vare Cs?
The student-teacher ratio at Universal Vare Cs is 9.7:1, which is 29% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 38% 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 Universal Vare Cs?
90.7% of students at Universal Vare Cs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Universal Vare Cs?
The largest demographic group at Universal Vare Cs is African American at 64.5% of enrollment, in Philadelphia, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Universal Vare Cs?
Universal Vare Cs has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Universal Vare Cs rank among elementary schools in Philadelphia?
By Resource Investment Index, Universal Vare Cs ranks #26 of 131 elementary schools in Philadelphia, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Philadelphia on the city page.
Is Universal Vare Cs a good school?
Universal Vare Cs earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Pennsylvania. 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 Universal Vare Cs?
None; Universal Vare Cs is a single-school charter district, and Universal Vare Cs is its only campus.
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.