Enrollment
535
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Hamburg, NY
Big Tree Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Big Tree Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 361167000468
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Big Tree Elementary School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of New York schools.
- #4 of 4
- schools in Hamburg · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13:1
- large classes for New York
- 35.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Big Tree Elementary School has class sizes larger than 71% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Big Tree Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 schools in Hamburg, NY.
School address
District: Frontier Central School District · New York
NCES ID 361167000468 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.4%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Tree Elementary School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Big Tree Elementary School
Big Tree Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Hamburg, New York, enrolling 535 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13:1 puts it in the larger third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 535 puts it in the larger third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Among 880 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New York schools statewide, it ranks #738, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 535 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Frontier Central School District spends $18,847 per pupil, 29% below the New York average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Frontier Central School District also operates Frontier Senior High School (1,293 students) and Frontier Middle School (1,067 students) alongside Big Tree Elementary 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 Big Tree Elementary School compares
Big Tree Elementary 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 | 13:1 | ▲ 10% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.4% | ▼ 37% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 535 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
535
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% 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
13:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 71% in New York - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
23.4%
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
$18,847
per pupil, district-wide
- below New York avg of $26,410
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 535 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 86.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Two or More 3.7%
African American 2.8%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 86.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.3, Big Tree Elementary School is less mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Frontier Central School District, which includes Big Tree Elementary School.
$18,847
Per student
-29%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.3%
State 42.4%
Federal 10.3%
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 Big Tree Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Frontier Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pinehurst Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cloverbank Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Blasdell Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Big Tree Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,067
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 573
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 509
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 498
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- 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 (~535 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Big Tree Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Big Tree Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Frontier Central 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 Big Tree Elementary School
How many students attend Big Tree Elementary School?
Big Tree Elementary School has 535 students enrolled. It is a public school in Hamburg, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Tree Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Tree Elementary School is 13:1, which is 10% higher than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Big Tree Elementary School?
35.4% of students at Big Tree Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Tree Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Big Tree Elementary School is White at 86.7% of enrollment, in Hamburg, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Tree Elementary School?
Big Tree Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Big Tree Elementary School rank among schools in Hamburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Big Tree Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 schools in Hamburg, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Hamburg on the city page.
Is Big Tree Elementary School a good school?
Big Tree Elementary School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of 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 Frontier Central School District?
Besides Big Tree Elementary School, Frontier Central School District also operates Frontier Senior High School (1,293 students), Frontier Middle School (1,067 students), and Pinehurst Elementary School (573 students). See the Frontier Central 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.