Enrollment
298
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180321000419
Waldron Elementary School — Waldron, IN
Federal NCES profile for Waldron Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 77
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: Shelby Eastern Schools · 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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+5% 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
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
Waldron Elementary School reports 298 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 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: 45.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% below the Indiana average and 12% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Shelby Eastern Schools spends $16,167 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.2% from local sources (property taxes), 54.4% from the state, and 10.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 3 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 Waldron 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 5% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.8% | ▼ 7% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 298 | top 22% | — | — |
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
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
16.9:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 71% in Indiana — lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$16,167
per pupil, district-wide
— above Indiana avg of $14,559
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
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
Enrollment 298 Top 22% in Indiana — larger than 78% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 16.9:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 45.8% -7% vs state
NCES ID 180321000419
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.4%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shelby Eastern Schools, which includes Waldron Elementary School.
$16,167
Per student
+11%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 338
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
Similar other schools in Waldron
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Waldron Elementary School
How many students attend Waldron Elementary School?
Waldron Elementary School has 298 students enrolled. It is a other school in Waldron, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waldron Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Waldron Elementary School is 16.9:1, which is 5% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waldron, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waldron Elementary School?
Waldron Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.