Enrollment
343
Connecticut · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 090282000596
Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School — New London, CT
Federal NCES profile for Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 83
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: New London School District · Connecticut
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 12.1:1 Connecticut avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.5%
vs 36.4% Connecticut avg
+138% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School compares with Connecticut and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School reports 343 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the Connecticut state mean of 12.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 27% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 86.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 138% above the Connecticut average and 67% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 86 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding New London School District spends $41,313 per pupil district-wide, above the Connecticut average of $28,239 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.0% from local sources (property taxes), 70.2% from the state, and 7.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Connecticut state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Connecticut | Connecticut avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.6:1 | ▼ 4% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.5% | ▲ 138% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 343 | top 35% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
86.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 138% above the Connecticut average of 36.4%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.6:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 47% in Connecticut — lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
48.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$41,313
per pupil, district-wide
— above Connecticut avg of $28,239
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 86 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
45
in-school suspensions + 90 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 39.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 343 Top 35% in Connecticut — larger than 65% of 1,005 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 11.6:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 86.5% +138% vs state
NCES ID 090282000596
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 65.0%
African American 18.1%
Two or More 8.2%
White 6.4%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 65.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 86:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 48.4%
In-school suspensions 45
Out-of-school suspensions 90
Expulsions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for New London School District, which includes Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School.
$41,313
Per student
+46%
vs Connecticut
Avg $28,239
+112%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.0%
State 70.2%
Federal 7.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 605
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 449
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 9.1:1
- Enrollment
- 406
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Enrollment
- 268
- Students per teacher
- 7.4:1
Similar middle schools in New London
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School
How many students attend Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School?
Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School has 343 students enrolled. It is a middle school in New London, CT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School is 11.6:1, which is 4% lower than the Connecticut average of 12.1:1 and 27% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School?
86.5% of students at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Connecticut average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 65.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in New London, CT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School?
Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.