Enrollment
329
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Rensselaer, IN
Van Rensselaer Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Van Rensselaer Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 180942001545
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Van Rensselaer Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Indiana median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Rensselaer · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.4:1
- students per teacher
- 45.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Van Rensselaer Elementary School has class sizes near the Indiana median. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Van Rensselaer Elementary School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Rensselaer, IN.
School address
District: Rensselaer Central School Corp · Indiana
NCES ID 180942001545 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.2%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Van Rensselaer Elementary School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Van Rensselaer Elementary School
Van Rensselaer Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Rensselaer, Indiana, enrolling 329 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 45.2% lands close to the Indiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 329 puts it in the smaller third of Indiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Against 450 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #174.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 329 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
11.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Rensselaer Central School Corp also operates Rensselaer Central High School (432 students) and Rensselaer Central Primary School (398 students) alongside Van Rensselaer Elementary School.
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 Van Rensselaer Elementary School compares
Van Rensselaer Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▲ 3% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.2% | ▼ 9% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 329 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
329
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 63% in Indiana - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$14,155
per pupil, district-wide
- above Indiana avg of $12,079
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 329 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.8 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
White 83.6%
Hispanic or Latino 12.5%
Two or More 2.4%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 83.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.5, Van Rensselaer Elementary School is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rensselaer Central School Corp, which includes Van Rensselaer Elementary School.
$14,155
Per student
+17%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.4%
State 52.2%
Federal 19.5%
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.
How Van Rensselaer Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rensselaer Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Rensselaer Central Primary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rensselaer Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Van Rensselaer Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 398
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 363
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~329 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Van Rensselaer Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Van Rensselaer Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Rensselaer Central School Corp'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 Van Rensselaer Elementary School
How many students attend Van Rensselaer Elementary School?
Van Rensselaer Elementary School has 329 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Rensselaer, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Van Rensselaer Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Van Rensselaer Elementary School is 16.4:1, which is 3% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Van Rensselaer Elementary School?
45.2% of students at Van Rensselaer Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Van Rensselaer Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Van Rensselaer Elementary School is White at 83.6% of enrollment, in Rensselaer, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Van Rensselaer Elementary School?
Van Rensselaer Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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 Van Rensselaer Elementary School rank among public schools in Rensselaer?
By Resource Investment Index, Van Rensselaer Elementary School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Rensselaer, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Rensselaer on the city page.
Is Van Rensselaer Elementary School a good school?
Van Rensselaer Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Indiana median. 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 Rensselaer Central School Corp?
Besides Van Rensselaer Elementary School, Rensselaer Central School Corp also operates Rensselaer Central High School (432 students), Rensselaer Central Primary School (398 students), and Rensselaer Middle School (363 students). See the Rensselaer Central School Corp district page for the complete list.
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.