Interactive tool · NCES data

School Comparison Tool

Search any U.S. public school and put up to four side by side — enrollment, student-teacher ratio, free-lunch eligibility, and type, all from official NCES records. See our methodology for how each figure is sourced.

95,891
Schools searchable
51
States & DC
Up to 4
Side by side

The national benchmark

The typical US public school runs a 15.7:1 classroom, and 51.8% of students nationwide qualify for subsidized lunch. This tool puts those figures side by side for any schools you pick.

95,891
public schools
15.7:1
avg class size, US
51.8%
free/reduced lunch
49.0M
students enrolled

What the side-by-side shows

Size & staffing

Total enrollment, full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-teacher ratio — the clearest signals of class size and attention.

Economic need

Free- and reduced-price lunch eligibility, the federal indicator of the share of students from lower-income households.

Type & programs

School level, regular vs. charter vs. magnet — context for why two nearby schools can look very different.

Every figure comes straight from the NCES Common Core of Data — no ratings or opinions. Read the methodology.

No school in mind? Start with a state

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaii All states →

The largest U.S. school districts

By total K-12 enrollment — a sensible place to start a comparison

students

What this shows The biggest districts enroll hundreds of thousands of students across dozens of schools, so comparing individual campuses within them is often more useful than comparing the districts themselves.

Source NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) As of 2024-25

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the school comparison tool work?
Select a state, type a school name or city to search, then check up to 4 schools to compare side-by-side. The comparison table shows enrollment, student-teacher ratio, free lunch eligibility, and school type.
Where does the data come from?
All school data comes from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data for the 2024-25 school year, the federal government's comprehensive annual collection of education statistics.
Why can I only compare up to 4 schools?
The comparison view is designed for detailed side-by-side analysis. Comparing more than 4 schools at once makes the table difficult to read. For broader searches, use the state and city browse pages.