Enrollment
463
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cato, NY
Cato-Meridian Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Cato-Meridian Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 360669004434
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 77
📋 Attendance 7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cato-Meridian Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most New York schools.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.9:1
- students per teacher
- 44.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 463
- students enrolled
Cato-Meridian Elementary School has class sizes near the New York median. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Cato-Meridian Central School District · New York
NCES ID 360669004434 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.2%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cato-Meridian Elementary School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cato-Meridian Elementary School
Cato-Meridian Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cato, New York, enrolling 463 students.
At 11.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the New York median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 44.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 463 students, its enrollment sits close to the New York median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 935 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #375.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 116 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district, Cato-Meridian Central School District, also runs Cato-Meridian Junior-Senior High School (383 students).
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 Cato-Meridian Elementary School compares
Cato-Meridian 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 | 11.9:1 | ▲ 1% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.2% | ▼ 21% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 463 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
463
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% below the New York average of 56.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 58% in New York - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
37.4%
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
$22,282
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 116 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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 92.7%
Two or More 3.9%
African American 2.2%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Largest group: White at 92.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.8, Cato-Meridian Elementary School is less mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cato-Meridian Central School District, which includes Cato-Meridian Elementary School.
$22,282
Per student
-16%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.1%
State 63.8%
Federal 12.1%
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.
How Cato-Meridian Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cato-Meridian Junior-Senior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cato-Meridian Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 (~463 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cato-Meridian Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Cato-Meridian Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Cato-Meridian 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 Cato-Meridian Elementary School
How many students attend Cato-Meridian Elementary School?
Cato-Meridian Elementary School has 463 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cato, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cato-Meridian Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cato-Meridian Elementary School is 11.9:1, which is 1% higher than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 24% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cato-Meridian Elementary School?
44.2% of students at Cato-Meridian Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cato-Meridian Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cato-Meridian Elementary School is White at 92.7% of enrollment, in Cato, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cato-Meridian Elementary School?
Cato-Meridian Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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).
Is Cato-Meridian Elementary School a good school?
Cato-Meridian Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median. It is also less 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 Cato-Meridian Central School District?
Besides Cato-Meridian Elementary School, Cato-Meridian Central School District also operates Cato-Meridian Junior-Senior High School (383 students). See the Cato-Meridian 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.