Enrollment
367
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · West Friendship, MD
West Friendship Elementary
Federal NCES profile for West Friendship Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 240042000760
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 84
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
West Friendship Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median.
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.6:1
- students per teacher
- 9.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 367
- students enrolled
West Friendship Elementary has class sizes near the Maryland median. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Howard County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240042000760 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
9.0%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-82% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Friendship Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at West Friendship Elementary
West Friendship Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in West Friendship, Maryland, enrolling 367 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 9.0% free-meal eligibility runs 82% below the Maryland average.
Enrollment of 367 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 1,382 Maryland schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 77 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Maryland schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (59%) and Asian (21%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 367 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Howard County Public Schools also operates Marriotts Ridge High (1,741 students) and Reservoir High (1,597 students) alongside West Friendship Elementary.
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 West Friendship Elementary compares
West Friendship Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.6:1 | ▼ 6% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.0% | ▼ 82% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 367 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
367
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
9.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 82% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 37% in Maryland - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
6.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$17,971
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 367 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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 58.7%
Asian 21.3%
Hispanic or Latino 7.4%
African American 6.6%
Two or More 5.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 58.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.7, West Friendship Elementary is more mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Howard County Public Schools, which includes West Friendship Elementary.
$17,971
Per student
-12%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.7%
State 29.5%
Federal 7.7%
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 West Friendship Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriotts Ridge High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Reservoir High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Atholton High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Howard High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mount Hebron High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to West Friendship Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,741
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,597
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,540
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,493
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,455
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~367 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on West Friendship Elementary's federal record.
- Compare West Friendship Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Howard County Public 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 West Friendship Elementary
How many students attend West Friendship Elementary?
West Friendship Elementary has 367 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in West Friendship, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Friendship Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at West Friendship Elementary is 13.6:1, which is 6% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 13% 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 West Friendship Elementary?
9.0% of students at West Friendship Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Friendship Elementary?
The largest demographic group at West Friendship Elementary is White at 58.7% of enrollment, in West Friendship, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Friendship Elementary?
West Friendship Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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).
Is West Friendship Elementary a good school?
West Friendship Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland 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 Howard County Public Schools?
Besides West Friendship Elementary, Howard County Public Schools also operates Marriotts Ridge High (1,741 students), Reservoir High (1,597 students), and Atholton High (1,540 students). See the Howard County Public 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.