Enrollment
255
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Darby, PA
Walnut Street El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Walnut Street El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 422639006806
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Walnut Street El Sch earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Darby · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.4:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Walnut Street El Sch has class sizes smaller than 94% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Walnut Street El Sch ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Darby, PA.
School address
District: William Penn Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 422639006806 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Walnut Street El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Walnut Street El Sch
Walnut Street El Sch is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Darby, Pennsylvania, enrolling 255 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.4:1, Walnut Street El Sch is leaner than roughly 94% of Pennsylvania schools and 31% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 255 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 313 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #112.
Its student body is predominantly African American (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 255 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 58 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 255 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Darby's elementary schools, it stands alongside Park Lane El Sch (304 students): Walnut Street El Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.4:1 vs 12.2:1).
William Penn Sd also operates Penn Wood Hs (1,148 students) and Penn Wood Ms (667 students) alongside Walnut Street El Sch.
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 Walnut Street El Sch compares
Walnut Street El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.4:1 | ▼ 31% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 255 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.4:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
255
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
9.4:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 6% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
53.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,270
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 255 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 57 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.7 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
African American 85.5%
Two or More 8.2%
White 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 85.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.1, Walnut Street El Sch is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for William Penn Sd, which includes Walnut Street El Sch.
$19,270
Per student
+7%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.5%
State 43.1%
Federal 11.4%
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 Walnut Street El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Wood Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Penn Wood Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ardmore Avenue Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Penn Wood 9th Grade Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| W B Evans Magnet Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Walnut Street El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,148
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 667
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 535
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 75.8:1
- Resource Index
- 0/100
- Enrollment
- 304
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar elementary schools in Darby
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~255 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Walnut Street El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Walnut Street El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- William Penn Sd'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 Walnut Street El Sch
How many students attend Walnut Street El Sch?
Walnut Street El Sch has 255 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Darby, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walnut Street El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Walnut Street El Sch is 9.4:1, which is 31% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 40% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Walnut Street El Sch?
100.0% of students at Walnut Street El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Walnut Street El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Walnut Street El Sch is African American at 85.5% of enrollment, in Darby, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walnut Street El Sch?
Walnut Street El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical 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 Walnut Street El Sch rank among public schools in Darby?
By Resource Investment Index, Walnut Street El Sch ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Darby, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Darby on the city page.
Is Walnut Street El Sch a good school?
Walnut Street El Sch earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Pennsylvania 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 William Penn Sd?
Besides Walnut Street El Sch, William Penn Sd also operates Penn Wood Hs (1,148 students), Penn Wood Ms (667 students), and Ardmore Avenue Sch (535 students). See the William Penn Sd 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.