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Central Falls, Rhode Island - 7 schools
An equity score of 67/100 ranks Central Falls #12 of 53 districts in Rhode Island (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $20,070 per pupil, Central Falls ranks #25 of 60 Rhode Island districts by per-pupil spending (Rhode Island districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,596
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$20,070
Per-Pupil Spending
Middle, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Central Falls operates 7 public schools serving 2,596 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Rhode Island. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 middle, 2 elementary, 2 combined, 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 Providence County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $20,070 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 60 Rhode Island districts by per-pupil spending. See how Rhode Island compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 6.3% local, 76.7% state, and 17.0% 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 67/100, ranked #12 of 53 in Rhode Island against a state average of 51, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 7 schools offering Advanced Placement (9 AP courses district-wide), a 279.4:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 62.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 61.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% White, 12.5% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Calcutt Middle School, with a diversity index of 71.6/100.
Its largest campus is Central Falls Sr High, enrolling 788 students (31% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Raices Upper Dual Language Acd, at 63 students, a 13x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Central Falls Sr High accounts for 30.4% of all Central Falls student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Central Falls-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. 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.
Central Falls school enrollment varies 13× across entities
Central Falls school enrollment ranges from 63 students (lowest) to 788 students (highest), a spread of 725 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Central Falls has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 86.3% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Central Falls student-counselor ratio is 279:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Central Falls is typically wider than the Central Falls-aggregate figure suggests.
Central Falls chronic absenteeism rate is 62.3% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Central Falls has 7 schools, including 1 high, 2 middle, 2 elementary, 2 combined. Total enrollment is 2,596 students.
How much does Central Falls spend per student?
Central Falls spends $20,070 per student. The district has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #12 in Rhode Island.
What is the demographic composition of Central Falls?
Central Falls students are 61.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% White, 12.5% African American, 0.5% Asian, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Central Falls?
Central Falls has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #12 out of 53 districts in Rhode Island.