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Schenectady, New York - 15 schools
An equity score of 56/100 ranks Schenectady City School District #289 of 941 districts in New York (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $22,134 per pupil, Schenectady City School District ranks #724 of 999 New York districts by per-pupil spending (New York districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
9,053
Total Enrollment
15
Schools
$22,134
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Schenectady City School District operates 15 public schools serving 9,053 students, placing it among the smaller districts in New York. The school portfolio breaks down into 11 combined, 3 middle, 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 Schenectady County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $22,134 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 21.2% local, 58.9% state, and 19.9% 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 56/100, ranked #289 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.
a 186.7:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 70.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 24.6% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 23.0% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Howe Elementary School, with a diversity index of 80.5/100.
Its largest campus is Schenectady High School, enrolling 2,885 students (32% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is William C Keane Elementary School, at 279 students, a 10x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Schenectady High School accounts for 31.9% of all Schenectady City School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Schenectady 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.
Schenectady City School District school enrollment varies 10× across entities
Schenectady City School District school enrollment ranges from 279 students (lowest) to 2,885 students (highest), a spread of 2,606 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.
Schenectady City School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 74.7% 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.
Schenectady City School District student-counselor ratio is 187:1 — 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.
Schenectady City School District chronic absenteeism rate is 70.8% — 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.
Comparisons are relative to Schenectady City 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 Schenectady City School District?
Schenectady City School District has 15 schools, including 1 high, 3 middle, 11 combined. Total enrollment is 9,053 students.
How much does Schenectady City School District spend per student?
Schenectady City School District spends $22,134 per student. The district has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #289 in New York.
What is the demographic composition of Schenectady City School District?
Schenectady City School District students are 24.6% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 23.0% African American, 15.1% White, averaged across 15 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Schenectady City School District?
Schenectady City School District has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #289 out of 941 districts in New York.