Enrollment
347
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ithaca, NY
Belle Sherman School
Federal NCES profile for Belle Sherman School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 361557001329
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Belle Sherman School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New York schools.
- #3 of 7
- schools in Ithaca · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.5:1
- students per teacher
- 29.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Belle Sherman School has class sizes near the New York median. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Belle Sherman School ranks #3 of 7 schools in Ithaca, NY.
School address
District: Ithaca City School District · New York
NCES ID 361557001329 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.3%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Belle Sherman School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Belle Sherman School
Belle Sherman School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Ithaca, New York, enrolling 347 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 29.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 347 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 4,801 scored New York schools.
Among 707 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New York schools statewide, it ranks #551, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (49%) and Asian (20%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Ithaca City School District also operates Ithaca Senior High School (1,411 students) and Dewitt Middle School (559 students) alongside Belle Sherman School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Belle Sherman School compares
Belle Sherman School on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.5:1 | ▼ 11% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.3% | ▼ 48% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 347 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.5:1
Leaner classes than 86% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
347
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.5:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 37% in New York - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
33.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$26,808
per pupil, district-wide
- above New York avg of $26,410
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 48.6%
Asian 19.7%
Hispanic or Latino 11.8%
Two or More 10.1%
African American 9.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 48.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.2, Belle Sherman School is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ithaca City School District, which includes Belle Sherman School.
$26,808
Per student
+2%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+62%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 64.6%
State 25.4%
Federal 10.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Belle Sherman School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ithaca Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dewitt Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Boynton Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Hill School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northeast School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Belle Sherman School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,411
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 559
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 513
- Students per teacher
- 8.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 363
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 347
- Students per teacher
- 9.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~347 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Belle Sherman School's federal record.
- Compare Belle Sherman School against another school. Compare schools
- Ithaca City School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Belle Sherman School
How many students attend Belle Sherman School?
Belle Sherman School has 347 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ithaca, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Belle Sherman School?
The student-teacher ratio at Belle Sherman School is 10.5:1, which is 11% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 33% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Belle Sherman School?
29.3% of students at Belle Sherman School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Belle Sherman School?
The largest demographic group at Belle Sherman School is White at 48.6% of enrollment, in Ithaca, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Belle Sherman School?
Belle Sherman School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Belle Sherman School rank among schools in Ithaca?
By Resource Investment Index, Belle Sherman School ranks #3 of 7 schools in Ithaca, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Ithaca on the city page.
Is Belle Sherman School a good school?
Belle Sherman School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New York schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Ithaca City School District?
Besides Belle Sherman School, Ithaca City School District also operates Ithaca Senior High School (1,411 students), Dewitt Middle School (559 students), and Boynton Middle School (513 students). See the Ithaca City School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.