Enrollment
1,218
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 360101806192 Charter school
Challenge Preparatory Charter School — Far Rockaway, NY
Federal NCES profile for Challenge Preparatory Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 19/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 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: Challenge Preparatory Charter School · New York
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)
84.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.0%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Challenge Preparatory Charter School compares with New York 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
Challenge Preparatory Charter School reports 1,218 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 84.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% above the New York state mean of 11.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 15% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 81.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 44% above the New York average and 56% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1218 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 57.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Challenge Preparatory Charter School spends $27,600 per pupil district-wide, below the New York average of $29,727 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F), 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 Challenge Preparatory Charter School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against New York state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.5:1 | ▲ 15% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.0% | ▲ 44% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,218 | 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
81.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 44% above 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 78% in New York — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
57.8%
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
$27,600
per pupil, district-wide
— below New York avg of $29,727
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 1218 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 55 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,218 Top 95% in New York — larger than 5% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 84.0
Students per teacher 13.5:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 81.0% +44% vs state
NCES ID 360101806192
Student demographics
African American 68.8%
Hispanic or Latino 25.5%
Two or More 1.8%
White 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 68.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 1218:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 57.8%
In-school suspensions 23
Out-of-school suspensions 55
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Challenge Preparatory Charter School, which includes Challenge Preparatory Charter School.
$27,600
Per student
-7%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
+42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Similar other schools in Far Rockaway
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Academy of Medical Technology - a College Board School
Standard public school
605 students 14:1 students per teacher
Ps 105 Bay School (the)
Standard public school
600 students 9.9:1 students per teacher
Ps 43
Standard public school
574 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Ps 104 Bays Water (the)
Standard public school
542 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Randolph Holder School of Social Justice (the)
Standard public school
542 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Wave Preparatory Elementary School
Standard public school
484 students 15:1 students per teacher
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 Challenge Preparatory Charter School
How many students attend Challenge Preparatory Charter School?
Challenge Preparatory Charter School has 1,218 students enrolled. It is a other school in FAR ROCKAWAY, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Challenge Preparatory Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Challenge Preparatory Charter School is 13.5:1, which is 15% higher than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Challenge Preparatory Charter School?
81.0% of students at Challenge Preparatory Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Challenge Preparatory Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Challenge Preparatory Charter School is African American at 68.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in FAR ROCKAWAY, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Challenge Preparatory Charter School?
Challenge Preparatory Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F) 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.