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Lancaster, New York - 7 schools
An equity score of 21/100 ranks Lancaster Central School District #803 of 941 districts in New York (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,668 per pupil, Lancaster Central School District ranks #904 of 999 New York districts by per-pupil spending (New York districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
5,459
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$18,668
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Lancaster Central School District operates 7 public schools serving 5,459 students, placing it among the smallest districts in New York. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle 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 Erie County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,668 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 100 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 51.8% local, 38.5% state, and 9.6% 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 21/100, ranked #803 of 941 in New York against a state average of 45, notably less 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 (20 AP courses district-wide), a 266.1:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 13.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 88.7% White, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 2.5% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is John a Sciole Elementary School, with a diversity index of 25.9/100.
Its largest campus is Lancaster High School, enrolling 1,682 students (32% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Court Street Elementary School, at 285 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Lancaster High School accounts for 30.8% of all Lancaster Central School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Lancaster Central 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.
Lancaster Central School District school enrollment varies 5.9× across entities
Lancaster Central School District school enrollment ranges from 285 students (lowest) to 1,682 students (highest), a spread of 1,397 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.
Lancaster Central School District student-counselor ratio is 266:1 — 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 Lancaster Central School District is typically wider than the Lancaster Central School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Lancaster Central School District chronic absenteeism rate is 13.4% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Comparisons are relative to Lancaster 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 Lancaster Central School District?
Lancaster Central School District has 7 schools, including 1 high, 5 elementary, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 5,459 students.
How much does Lancaster Central School District spend per student?
Lancaster Central School District spends $18,668 per student. The district has an equity score of 21/100, ranking #803 in New York.
What is the demographic composition of Lancaster Central School District?
Lancaster Central School District students are 88.7% White, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 2.5% Asian, 1.6% African American, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Lancaster Central School District?
Lancaster Central School District has an equity score of 21/100, ranking #803 out of 941 districts in New York.