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Saranac Lake, New York - 4 schools
An equity score of 57/100 ranks Saranac Lake Central School District #280 of 941 districts in New York (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $27,984 per pupil, Saranac Lake Central School District ranks #297 of 999 New York districts by per-pupil spending (New York districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,073
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$27,984
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Saranac Lake Central School District operates 4 public schools serving 1,073 students, placing it among the smallest districts in New York. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 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 Franklin County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $27,984 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 62.6% local, 28.0% state, and 9.5% 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 57/100, ranked #280 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 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (5 AP courses district-wide), a 175.7:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 13.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 97.3% White, 0.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Petrova Elementary School, with a diversity index of 6.6/100.
Its largest campus is Saranac Lake Senior High School, enrolling 360 students (35% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Bloomingdale School, at 103 students, a 3x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Saranac Lake Senior High School accounts for 33.6% of all Saranac Lake Central School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Saranac Lake 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.
Saranac Lake Central School District school enrollment varies 3.5× across entities
Saranac Lake Central School District school enrollment ranges from 103 students (lowest) to 360 students (highest), a spread of 257 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.
Saranac Lake Central School District student-counselor ratio is 176:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Saranac Lake Central School District chronic absenteeism rate is 13.1% — 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 Saranac Lake 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 Saranac Lake Central School District?
Saranac Lake Central School District has 4 schools, including 1 high, 2 elementary, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,073 students.
How much does Saranac Lake Central School District spend per student?
Saranac Lake Central School District spends $27,984 per student. The district has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #280 in New York.
What is the demographic composition of Saranac Lake Central School District?
Saranac Lake Central School District students are 97.3% White, 0.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% African American, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Saranac Lake Central School District?
Saranac Lake Central School District has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #280 out of 941 districts in New York.