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Ithaca, New York - 12 schools
An equity score of 55/100 ranks Ithaca City School District #309 of 941 districts in New York (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $26,808 per pupil, Ithaca City School District ranks #368 of 999 New York districts by per-pupil spending (New York districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
5,090
Total Enrollment
12
Schools
$26,808
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Ithaca City School District operates 12 public schools serving 5,090 students, placing it among the smaller districts in New York. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 combined, 2 middle, 2 elementary, 1 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Tompkins County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $26,808 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper 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 64.6% local, 25.4% state, and 10.0% 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 55/100, ranked #309 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 12 schools offering Advanced Placement (24 AP courses district-wide), a 82.8:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 38.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 61.4% White, 10.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Beverly J Martin Elementary School, with a diversity index of 72.6/100.
Its largest campus is Ithaca Senior High School, enrolling 1,411 students (28% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Enfield School, at 165 students, a 9x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Ithaca Senior High School accounts for 27.7% of all Ithaca City School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Ithaca City School District-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.
Ithaca City School District school enrollment varies 8.6× across entities
Ithaca City School District school enrollment ranges from 165 students (lowest) to 1,411 students (highest), a spread of 1,246 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.
Ithaca City School District student-counselor ratio is 83:1 — 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.
Ithaca City School District chronic absenteeism rate is 38.4% — 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.
How many schools are in Ithaca City School District?
Ithaca City School District has 12 schools, including 1 high, 2 middle, 7 combined, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 5,090 students.
How much does Ithaca City School District spend per student?
Ithaca City School District spends $26,808 per student. The district has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #309 in New York.
What is the demographic composition of Ithaca City School District?
Ithaca City School District students are 61.4% White, 10.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 7.3% African American, averaged across 12 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Ithaca City School District?
Ithaca City School District has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #309 out of 941 districts in New York.