Enrollment
458
Idaho · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 160051000107
Van Buren Elementary School — Caldwell, ID
Federal NCES profile for Van Buren Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
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: Caldwell District · Idaho
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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 17.3:1 Idaho avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.1%
vs 29.3% Idaho avg
+184% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Van Buren Elementary School compares with Idaho 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
Van Buren Elementary School reports 458 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% below the Idaho state mean of 17.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 83.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 184% above the Idaho average and 60% above the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding Caldwell District spends $10,924 per pupil district-wide, below the Idaho average of $12,943 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 14.9% from local sources (property taxes), 55.3% from the state, and 29.8% 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 2 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 Van Buren Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Idaho state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Idaho | Idaho avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▼ 5% | 17.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.1% | ▲ 184% | 29.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 458 | 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
83.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 184% above the Idaho average of 29.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 41% in Idaho — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$10,924
per pupil, district-wide
— below Idaho avg of $12,943
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
4
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 458 Top 69% in Idaho — larger than 31% of 778 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 83.1% +184% vs state
NCES ID 160051000107
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 62.0%
White 32.3%
Two or More 3.7%
African American 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 62.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caldwell District, which includes Van Buren Elementary School.
$10,924
Per student
-16%
vs Idaho
Avg $12,943
-44%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 14.9%
State 55.3%
Federal 29.8%
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
- 1,400
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Enrollment
- 778
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 481
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 406
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Caldwell
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Van Buren Elementary School
How many students attend Van Buren Elementary School?
Van Buren Elementary School has 458 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in CALDWELL, ID.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Van Buren Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Van Buren Elementary School is 16.5:1, which is 5% lower than the Idaho average of 17.3:1 and 4% higher 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 Van Buren Elementary School?
83.1% of students at Van Buren Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Idaho average of 29.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Van Buren Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Van Buren Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 62.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in CALDWELL, ID.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Van Buren Elementary School?
Van Buren Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.