Enrollment
982
Connecticut · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 090444000885
Bunnell High School — Stratford, CT
Federal NCES profile for Bunnell High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 51
📚 AP courses 95
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 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: Stratford 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)
85.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 12.1:1 Connecticut avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.0%
vs 36.4% Connecticut avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bunnell 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
Bunnell High School reports 982 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 85.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 18% below the Connecticut average and 42% below the national baseline. The school offers 19 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 196 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 45.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Stratford School District spends $25,804 per pupil district-wide, below the Connecticut average of $28,239 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 62.8% from local sources (property taxes), 28.1% from the state, and 9.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), 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 Bunnell 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 | 12.3:1 | ▲ 2% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.0% | ▼ 18% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 982 | top 93% | — | — |
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
30.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 18% below the Connecticut average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 62% in Connecticut — lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
45.1%
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
$25,804
per pupil, district-wide
— below Connecticut avg of $28,239
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 196 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
122
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 982 Top 93% in Connecticut — larger than 7% of 1,005 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 85.0
Students per teacher 12.3:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.0% -18% vs state
NCES ID 090444000885
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 39.7%
White 27.8%
African American 27.0%
Asian 2.7%
Two or More 2.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 39.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 19
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 196:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 45.1%
In-school suspensions 122
Out-of-school suspensions 26
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Stratford School District, which includes Bunnell High School.
$25,804
Per student
-9%
vs Connecticut
Avg $28,239
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 62.8%
State 28.1%
Federal 9.1%
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
- 1,150
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Enrollment
- 610
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 538
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Enrollment
- 537
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
Similar high schools in Stratford
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 Bunnell High School
How many students attend Bunnell High School?
Bunnell High School has 982 students enrolled. It is a high school in Stratford, CT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bunnell High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bunnell High School is 12.3:1, which is 2% higher than the Connecticut average of 12.1:1 and 23% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bunnell High School?
30.0% of students at Bunnell High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Connecticut average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bunnell High School?
The largest demographic group at Bunnell High School is Hispanic or Latino at 39.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Stratford, CT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bunnell High School?
Bunnell High School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) 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.