Public schools in Ithaca, NY
Ithaca has 13 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 3 high, 2 middle, 7 elementary, 1 other, enrolling 5,122 students. They are run by 3 districts and agencies; Ithaca City School District runs 11 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 3 districts and agencies that run Ithaca's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Ithaca | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ithaca City School District | 11 | 5,090 | $27,800 |
| Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES | 1 | 309 | not reported |
| New Roots Charter School | 1 | 106 | $21,462 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
3 high schools in Ithaca, 1,774 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ithaca Senior High School | 1,411 | 13.8 | 25.4% | Ithaca City |
| Lehman Alternative Community School | 265 | 9.1 | 37.0% | Ithaca City |
| New Roots Charter School | 98 | 7.1 | 57.1% | New Roots Charter School |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
2 middle schools in Ithaca, 1,072 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dewitt Middle School | 559 | 9.4 | 36.3% | Ithaca City |
| Boynton Middle School | 513 | 9.4 | 33.3% | Ithaca City |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
7 elementary schools in Ithaca, 1,967 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Hill School | 363 | 10.4 | 22.0% | Ithaca City |
| Belle Sherman School | 347 | 10.0 | 28.8% | Ithaca City |
| Northeast School | 347 | 9.4 | 26.5% | Ithaca City |
| Cayuga Heights Elementary School | 270 | 10.0 | 27.8% | Ithaca City |
| Beverly J Martin Elementary School | 258 | 8.4 | 59.7% | Ithaca City |
| Fall Creek Elementary School | 217 | 10.2 | 35.9% | Ithaca City |
| Enfield School | 165 | 7.2 | 66.7% | Ithaca City |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
One other school in Ithaca, 309 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES | 309 | 4.0 | not reported | Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Ithaca's public schools compare with New York's
The median Ithaca school has 9.4 students per full-time teacher, fewer than the New York median of 11.1. 46% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 53% across the state. Its median school enrolls 309 students (state 428).
| Ithaca | New York | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 9.4 | 11.1 |
| Median school size (students) | 309 | 428 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 46% | 53% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 92% | 85% |
| Charter schools | 7.7% | 7.1% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 13 Ithaca schools and the 4,767 New York schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Ithaca
- Ithaca City School DistrictRuns 11 of Ithaca's 13 public schools and spent $27,800 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$27,800
- Ithaca Senior High School, the largest high school in Ithaca1,411 students in 2024-25, 13.8 per teacher.1,411
- Compare Ithaca City School District with Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCESIthaca's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in New YorkNew York's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for an Ithaca addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in New York
Questions about schools in Ithaca
How many public schools are in Ithaca, NY?
13 public schools with an address in Ithaca were open in 2024-25: 3 high, 2 middle, 7 elementary, 1 other, enrolling 5,122 students. 1 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Ithaca?
Ithaca Senior High School, with 1,411 students in 2024-25 (Ithaca City School District).Which districts run Ithaca's schools?
Ithaca City School District (11 schools), Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES (1 school), New Roots Charter School (1 school). A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25