Enrollment
588
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 420333006788
Valley El Sch — Bensalem, PA
Federal NCES profile for Valley El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 27
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: Bensalem Township 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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.5%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley 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
Valley El Sch reports 588 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% above the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% below the Pennsylvania average and 3% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 588 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bensalem Township Sd spends $25,173 per pupil district-wide, above the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.9% from local sources (property taxes), 23.1% from the state, and 8.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), 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 Valley 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 24% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.5% | ▼ 13% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 588 | top 69% | — | — |
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
50.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 24% above state mean
Top 91% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.3%
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
$25,173
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 588 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 588 Top 69% in Pennsylvania — larger than 31% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 +24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.5% -13% vs state
NCES ID 420333006788
Student demographics
White 65.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.3%
Asian 10.5%
Two or More 4.8%
African American 3.7%
Largest group: White at 65.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 588:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.3%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bensalem Township Sd, which includes Valley El Sch.
$25,173
Per student
+11%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.9%
State 23.1%
Federal 8.0%
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
- 2,151
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 580
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 556
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 552
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 546
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Bensalem
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Belmont Hills El Sch
Standard public school
580 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Cornwells El Sch
Standard public school
556 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Samuel K Faust El Sch
Standard public school
546 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Russell C Struble El Sch
Standard public school
496 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Benjamin Rush El Sch
Standard public school
446 students 13:1 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 Valley El Sch
How many students attend Valley El Sch?
Valley El Sch has 588 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Bensalem, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley El Sch is 16.8:1, which is 24% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Valley El Sch?
50.5% of students at Valley El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Valley El Sch is White at 65.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bensalem, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley El Sch?
Valley El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) 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.