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Dunkirk, New York - 5 schools
An equity score of 57/100 ranks Dunkirk City School District #276 of 941 districts in New York (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $23,542 per pupil, Dunkirk City School District ranks #618 of 999 New York districts by per-pupil spending (New York districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,015
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$23,542
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Dunkirk City School District operates 5 public schools serving 2,015 students, placing it among the smallest districts in New York. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 elementary, 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 Chautauqua County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $23,542 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 15.5% local, 66.6% state, and 17.9% 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 57/100, ranked #276 of 941 in New York against a state average of 45, 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 (25 AP courses district-wide), a 290.8:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 61.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 64.1% Hispanic or Latino, 29.3% White, 3.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Dunkirk Senior High School, with a diversity index of 54.4/100.
Its largest campus is Dunkirk Senior High School, enrolling 882 students (46% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is School 7, at 134 students, a 7x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Dunkirk Senior High School accounts for 43.8% of all Dunkirk City School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Dunkirk City 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.
Dunkirk City School District school enrollment varies 6.6× across entities
Dunkirk City School District school enrollment ranges from 134 students (lowest) to 882 students (highest), a spread of 748 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.
Dunkirk City School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 74.0% 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). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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.
Dunkirk City School District student-counselor ratio is 291:1 — 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 Dunkirk City School District is typically wider than the Dunkirk City School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Dunkirk City School District chronic absenteeism rate is 61.4% — 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.
How many schools are in Dunkirk City School District?
Dunkirk City School District has 5 schools, including 2 combined, 3 elementary. Total enrollment is 2,015 students.
How much does Dunkirk City School District spend per student?
Dunkirk City School District spends $23,542 per student. The district has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #276 in New York.
What is the demographic composition of Dunkirk City School District?
Dunkirk City School District students are 64.1% Hispanic or Latino, 29.3% White, 3.1% African American, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Dunkirk City School District?
Dunkirk City School District has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #276 out of 941 districts in New York.