1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at Plainfield El Sch right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
434
Elementary
DISTRICT 473 · STATE 443
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PEN ARGYL AREA SD·NCES 421857003511
Plainfield Elementary School
539 School Rd, Nazareth, PA 18064 · (610) 746-4436 · Northampton County
GRADES KG–03ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL434 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · STATE 13.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
53%
230 students
DISTRICT 51% · STATE 75%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 105 | 24% |
| Grade 1 | 111 | 26% |
| Grade 2 | 103 | 24% |
| Grade 3 | 115 | 26% |
Student demographics
36%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 32% · STATE 59% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Pen Argyl Area SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
45.0%
PA avg 51.1% . -12.3pp since 2023
Math
68.8%
PA avg 43.0% . +5.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 45 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 69 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Pennsylvania schools, those numbers are about 51 and 43. Reading and writing scores are down about 12 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 6 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 45.0% | 68.8% |
| 2023-24 | 57.3% | 62.9% |
% Proficient or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: PSSA + Keystone. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
58.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
54.9%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 59% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 55% typical for Pennsylvania schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Pennsylvania's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Plainfield Elementary School
Plainfield Elementary School's state test result (58.5% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plainfield Elementary School this school | 434 | 53.0% | 58.5% |
| Highland Elementary School Ephrata | 438 | 54.8% | 67.3% |
| George Wolf Elementary School Bath | 428 | 55.8% | 54.2% |
| Lincoln Elementary School Gettysburg | 393 | 55.2% | 46.6% |
| Providence Elementary School New Providence | 386 | 53.4% | 51.3% |
| Conewago Twp Elementary School Hanover | 475 | 57.1% | 63.9% |
Matched among Pennsylvania elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Plainfield Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Northampton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 58.5% | #633 of 1,396 | #17 of 34 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 68.8% | #295 of 1,511 ▲ 109 | #5 of 34 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 45.0% | #887 of 1,511 ▼ 181 | #22 of 34 ▼ 5 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 434 | #741 of 1,638 | #15 of 35 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.9:1 | #744 of 1,528 | #21 of 35 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 35.8% | #865 of 1,531 | #29 of 35 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 53.0% | #943 of 1,600 | #23 of 35 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +3.6% | #345 of 450 | #5 of 8 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
434
+58 (+15%) vs 2020
+39% since 1990-91, when it was 312
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
was 11.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 434 | 33.5 | 12.9:1 | 53% (230) |
| 2023-24 | 420 | 34.5 | 12.2:1 | 55% (230) |
| 2022-23 | 420 | 35.1 | 12.0:1 | 53% (221) |
| 2020-21 | 376 | 32 | 11.8:1 | 47% (178) |
| 2017-18 | 419 | 29.8 | 14.1:1 | 45% (188) |
| 2015-16 | 465 | 30 | 15.5:1 | 47% (217) |
| 2010-11 | 535 | 33 | 16.2:1 | 28% (149) |
| 2000-01 | 554 | 30 | 18.5:1 | 14% (78) |
| 1990-91 | 312 | 17 | 18.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Plainfield Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 4% (419 to 434); teachers up 13% (29.8 to 33.5).
About Plainfield Elementary School
Plainfield Elementary School sits in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and is classified as an elementary school. It enrolls 434 students in 2024-25. The grades offered are kindergarten through 3.
Pen Argyl Area SD enrolls 1,419 students, and its 3 schools include Plainfield Elementary School.
The largest group at Plainfield Elementary School is White students, at 79%. Smaller groups are 14% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, and 2% Black. The diversity index for Plainfield Elementary School is 36%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
On staff are 33.5 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 12.9:1. The 13.1:1 average for elementary schools in Pennsylvania is close to this figure. Plainfield Elementary School has a free or reduced-price lunch rate of 53%. Public schools in Northampton County average 61%.
Plainfield Elementary School scores 58.5% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 54.9%.
The county, Northampton County, is where the school is located. Median household income comes to about $89,184, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 35% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. The county's public schools total 60, with about 38,316 students.
Plainfield Elementary School is about 2.3 miles from Kenneth N Butz Jr Elementary School, its nearest public school. Around the school, 7 other public schools are within five miles. Of 8 schools in the immediate area with test results, Plainfield Elementary School ranks 7th on average proficiency.
Federal data place Plainfield Elementary School in the Suburb: Large locale, which means it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, Plainfield Elementary School had a net gain of 58 students, or 15%. The number of students per teacher increased from 11.8 to 12.9 over 4 years.
The discussion board for Plainfield Elementary School is open to topics like pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Northampton County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
318,580
Census ACS
Median income
$89,184
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
35%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
60
38,316 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Pen Argyl Area SD
- Wind Gap Middle SchoolMiddle · 510 students
- Pen Argyl Area High SchoolHigh · 475 students
Other schools in Nazareth
- Nazareth Area High SchoolHigh · 1,607 students
- Nazareth Area Middle SchoolMiddle · 775 students
- Nazareth Area Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 752 students
- Lower Nazareth Elementary SchoolElementary · 615 students
- Kenneth N Butz Jr Elementary SchoolElementary · 576 students
- Shafer Elementary SchoolElementary · 559 students
Other Plainfield Elementary schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Plainfield Elementary. Plainfield Elementary School is the largest of the 4.
- Plainfield Elementary SchoolDes Plaines, IL · 285 students
- Plainfield ElementaryWoodland, CA · 257 students
- Plainfield Elementary SchoolMeriden, NH · 183 students
Nearby schools
- Kenneth N Butz Jr Elementary School2.3 mi · 576
- Career Institute of Technology2.9 mi · 13
- Nazareth Area High School3.4 mi · 1,607
- Wind Gap Middle School3.5 mi · 510
- Nazareth Area Middle School3.5 mi · 775
- Nazareth Area Intermediate School3.5 mi · 752
Frequently asked questions
About Plainfield Elementary SchoolHow large is Plainfield Elementary School?
Plainfield Elementary School enrolls approximately 434 students in grades KG-03.
What grades does Plainfield Elementary School serve?
Plainfield Elementary School serves grades KG-03.
How many students per teacher at Plainfield Elementary School?
Approximately 12.9:1 students per teacher at Plainfield Elementary School.
How diverse is Plainfield Elementary School?
Plainfield Elementary School reports a student body of 79% White, 14% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees Plainfield Elementary School?
Plainfield Elementary School is overseen by Pen Argyl Area SD in Northampton County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.