Enrollment
610
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180036000082
W D Richards Elementary School — Columbus, IN
Federal NCES profile for W D Richards Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 76
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: Bartholomew Con School Corp · Indiana
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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.6%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How W D Richards Elementary School compares with Indiana 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
W D Richards Elementary School reports 610 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 30% below the Indiana average and 33% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 610 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bartholomew Con School Corp spends $14,341 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.5% from local sources (property taxes), 52.0% from the state, and 12.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), 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 W D Richards Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.8:1 | ▲ 17% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.6% | ▼ 30% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 610 | top 73% | — | — |
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
34.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 30% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.8:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 87% in Indiana — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$14,341
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 610 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 610 Top 73% in Indiana — larger than 27% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 18.8:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.6% -30% vs state
NCES ID 180036000082
Student demographics
White 62.3%
Hispanic or Latino 22.8%
Two or More 5.7%
Asian 5.4%
African American 3.8%
Largest group: White at 62.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 610:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.5%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bartholomew Con School Corp, which includes W D Richards Elementary School.
$14,341
Per student
-1%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.5%
State 52.0%
Federal 12.5%
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
- 2,360
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,452
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 908
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 891
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
Similar other schools in Columbus
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Southside Elementary School
Standard public school
891 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Parkside Elementary School
Standard public school
733 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Clifty Creek Elementary School
Standard public school
705 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Lillian Schmitt Elementary School
Standard public school
704 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
L F Smith Elementary
Standard public school
420 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Mount Healthy Elementary School
Standard public school
365 students 16.1:1 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 W D Richards Elementary School
How many students attend W D Richards Elementary School?
W D Richards Elementary School has 610 students enrolled. It is a other school in Columbus, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at W D Richards Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at W D Richards Elementary School is 18.8:1, which is 17% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at W D Richards Elementary School?
34.6% of students at W D Richards Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of W D Richards Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at W D Richards Elementary School is White at 62.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbus, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for W D Richards Elementary School?
W D Richards Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) 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.