Enrollment
298
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Waldron, IN
Waldron Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Waldron Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 180321000419
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waldron Elementary School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Indiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools.
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.5:1
- large classes for Indiana
- 45.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 298
- students enrolled
Waldron Elementary School has class sizes larger than 75% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Shelby Eastern Schools · Indiana
NCES ID 180321000419 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.8%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waldron Elementary School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waldron Elementary School
Waldron Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Waldron, Indiana, enrolling 298 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 45.8% lands close to the Indiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 298 puts it in the smaller third of Indiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 1,862 Indiana schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 378 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Indiana schools statewide, it ranks #39, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 13/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Waldron's public schools, it stands alongside Waldron Jr-Sr High School (323 students): Waldron Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.5:1 vs 14.7:1).
Shelby Eastern Schools also operates Morristown Elementary School (338 students) and Morristown Jr-Sr High School (333 students) alongside Waldron 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 Waldron Elementary School compares
Waldron 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 | 17.5:1 | ▲ 10% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.8% | ▼ 7% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 298 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
298
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 75% in Indiana - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,278
per pupil, district-wide
- above Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 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 93.0%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
Two or More 1.7%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 93.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.3, Waldron 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 Shelby Eastern Schools, which includes Waldron Elementary School.
$12,278
Per student
+2%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.2%
State 54.4%
Federal 10.3%
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 Waldron Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morristown Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Morristown Jr-Sr High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Waldron Jr-Sr High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waldron Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 338
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar other schools in Waldron
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~298 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waldron Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Waldron Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Shelby Eastern Schools'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 Waldron Elementary School
How many students attend Waldron Elementary School?
Waldron Elementary School has 298 students enrolled. It is a public school in Waldron, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waldron Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Waldron Elementary School is 17.5:1, which is 10% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waldron Elementary School?
45.8% of students at Waldron Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waldron Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Waldron Elementary School is White at 93.0% of enrollment, in Waldron, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waldron Elementary School?
Waldron Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Waldron Elementary School a good school?
Waldron Elementary School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Indiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools. 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 Shelby Eastern Schools?
Besides Waldron Elementary School, Shelby Eastern Schools also operates Morristown Elementary School (338 students), Morristown Jr-Sr High School (333 students), and Waldron Jr-Sr High School (323 students). See the Shelby Eastern Schools 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.