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Branford, Connecticut - 5 schools
An equity score of 65/100 ranks Branford School District #37 of 174 districts in Connecticut (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $26,381 per pupil, Branford School District ranks #50 of 191 Connecticut districts by per-pupil spending (Connecticut districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,651
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$26,381
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Branford School District operates 5 public schools serving 2,651 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Connecticut. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined, 1 elementary, 1 high schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in South Central Connecticut Planning Region.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $26,381 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 191 Connecticut districts by per-pupil spending. See how Connecticut compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 75.3% local, 19.4% state, and 5.2% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 65/100, ranked #37 of 174 in Connecticut against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (10 AP courses district-wide), a 189.2:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 18.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 66.2% White, 17.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Mary T. Murphy School, with a diversity index of 64.6/100.
Its largest campus is Francis Walsh Intermediate School, enrolling 775 students (32% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is John B. Sliney School, at 252 students, a 3x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Francis Walsh Intermediate School accounts for 29.2% of all Branford School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Branford School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Branford School District school enrollment varies 3.1× across entities
Branford School District school enrollment ranges from 252 students (lowest) to 775 students (highest), a spread of 523 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Branford School District student-counselor ratio is 189:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Branford School District chronic absenteeism rate is 18.6% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Branford School District is typically wider than the Branford School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Branford School District has 5 schools, including 1 elementary, 1 high, 3 combined. Total enrollment is 2,651 students.
How much does Branford School District spend per student?
Branford School District spends $26,381 per student. The district has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #37 in Connecticut.
What is the demographic composition of Branford School District?
Branford School District students are 66.2% White, 17.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 4.1% African American, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Branford School District?
Branford School District has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #37 out of 174 districts in Connecticut.