Enrollment
529
Connecticut · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 090486000994
Clark Lane Middle School — Waterford, CT
Federal NCES profile for Clark Lane Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 73
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: Waterford 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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 12.1:1 Connecticut avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.2%
vs 36.4% Connecticut avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Clark Lane Middle 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
Clark Lane Middle School reports 529 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% 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 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% below the Connecticut average and 49% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 176 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Waterford School District spends $28,796 per pupil district-wide, above the Connecticut average of $28,239 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 80.6% from local sources (property taxes), 13.7% from the state, and 5.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), 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 Clark Lane Middle 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 | 13.1:1 | ▲ 8% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.2% | ▼ 28% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 529 | top 71% | — | — |
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
26.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 28% 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
13.1:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 75% in Connecticut — lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
10.8%
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
$28,796
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 176 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 529 Top 71% in Connecticut — larger than 29% of 1,005 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 13.1:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.2% -28% vs state
NCES ID 090486000994
Student demographics
White 71.3%
Hispanic or Latino 15.7%
Two or More 6.4%
Asian 4.2%
African American 2.5%
Largest group: White at 71.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 176:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.8%
In-school suspensions 25
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waterford School District, which includes Clark Lane Middle School.
$28,796
Per student
+2%
vs Connecticut
Avg $28,239
+48%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 80.6%
State 13.7%
Federal 5.8%
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
- 713
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Enrollment
- 331
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Enrollment
- 309
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 292
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
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 Clark Lane Middle School
How many students attend Clark Lane Middle School?
Clark Lane Middle School has 529 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Waterford, CT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Clark Lane Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Clark Lane Middle School is 13.1:1, which is 8% higher than the Connecticut average of 12.1:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Clark Lane Middle School?
26.2% of students at Clark Lane Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Connecticut average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Clark Lane Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Clark Lane Middle School is White at 71.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waterford, CT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Clark Lane Middle School?
Clark Lane Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) 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.