Enrollment
1,148
Connecticut · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 090051000092
Bristol Central High School — Bristol, CT
Federal NCES profile for Bristol Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 46
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 55
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: Bristol 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)
93.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 12.1:1 Connecticut avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.1%
vs 36.4% Connecticut avg
+21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bristol Central High 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
Bristol Central High School reports 1,148 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 93.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% above the Connecticut state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 44.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% above the Connecticut average and 15% below the national baseline. The school offers 13 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 191 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bristol School District spends $30,267 per pupil district-wide, above the Connecticut average of $28,239 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.6% from local sources (property taxes), 38.6% from the state, and 8.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 5 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 Bristol Central High 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 | 13.4:1 | ▲ 11% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.1% | ▲ 21% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,148 | top 95% | — | — |
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
44.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 21% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 79% in Connecticut — lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$30,267
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 191 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
84
in-school suspensions + 99 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,148 Top 95% in Connecticut — larger than 5% of 1,005 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 93.0
Students per teacher 13.4:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 44.1% +21% vs state
NCES ID 090051000092
Student demographics
White 43.6%
Hispanic or Latino 38.9%
African American 9.0%
Two or More 5.5%
Asian 3.0%
Largest group: White at 43.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 13
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 191:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.8%
In-school suspensions 84
Out-of-school suspensions 99
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bristol School District, which includes Bristol Central High School.
$30,267
Per student
+7%
vs Connecticut
Avg $28,239
+55%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 38.6%
Federal 8.8%
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
- 998
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Enrollment
- 918
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 833
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 545
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
- Enrollment
- 515
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
Similar high schools in Bristol
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Bristol Central High School
How many students attend Bristol Central High School?
Bristol Central High School has 1,148 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bristol, CT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bristol Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bristol Central High School is 13.4:1, which is 11% higher than the Connecticut average of 12.1:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bristol Central High School?
44.1% of students at Bristol Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Connecticut average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bristol Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Bristol Central High School is White at 43.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bristol, CT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bristol Central High School?
Bristol Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.