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. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our
editorial standards & corrections policy, the
methodology behind these numbers, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Cato, New York - 2 schools
An equity score of 44/100 ranks Cato-Meridian Central School District #509 of 941 districts in New York (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $22,282 per pupil, Cato-Meridian Central School District ranks #714 of 999 New York districts by per-pupil spending (New York districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
884
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$22,282
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Cato-Meridian Central School District operates 2 public schools serving 884 students, placing it among the smallest districts in New York. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined 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 Cayuga County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $22,282 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 999 New York districts by per-pupil spending. See how New York compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 24.1% local, 63.8% state, and 12.1% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 44/100, ranked #509 of 941 in New York against a state average of 45, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 2 schools offering Advanced Placement (3 AP courses district-wide), a 153.7:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 35.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 92.8% White, 1.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% African American across the district's schools.
Cato-Meridian Elementary School accounts for 52.4% of all Cato-Meridian Central School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Cato-Meridian Central School District a distant remainder — means Cato-Meridian Central School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Cato-Meridian Central School District student-counselor ratio is 154:1 — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
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 Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
Cato-Meridian Central School District chronic absenteeism rate is 35.5% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Comparisons are relative to Cato-Meridian Central School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in New York
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Cato-Meridian Central School District?
Cato-Meridian Central School District has 2 schools, including 2 combined. Total enrollment is 884 students.
How much does Cato-Meridian Central School District spend per student?
Cato-Meridian Central School District spends $22,282 per student. The district has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #509 in New York.
What is the demographic composition of Cato-Meridian Central School District?
Cato-Meridian Central School District students are 92.8% White, 1.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% African American, 0.1% Asian, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Cato-Meridian Central School District?
Cato-Meridian Central School District has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #509 out of 941 districts in New York.