Enrollment
251
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 361059002828
Cohen Middle School — Elmira Heights, NY
Federal NCES profile for Cohen Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 52
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: Elmira Heights Central School District · 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.6:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.6%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cohen Middle 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
Cohen Middle School reports 251 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% below the New York state mean of 11.7:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 40% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 49.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 12% below the New York average and 4% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 251 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Elmira Heights Central School District spends $24,380 per pupil district-wide, below the New York average of $29,727 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.8% from local sources (property taxes), 58.6% from the state, and 10.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), 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 Cohen Middle 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 | 9.6:1 | ▼ 18% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.6% | ▼ 12% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 251 | top 16% | — | — |
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
49.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 12% 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
9.6:1
students per teacher
— 18% below state mean
Top 21% in New York — lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.1%
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
$24,380
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 251 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 251 Top 16% in New York — larger than 84% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 9.6:1 -18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 49.6% -12% vs state
NCES ID 361059002828
Student demographics
White 82.1%
Two or More 7.6%
African American 5.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 82.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 251:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.1%
In-school suspensions 19
Out-of-school suspensions 29
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Elmira Heights Central School District, which includes Cohen Middle School.
$24,380
Per student
-18%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
+25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.8%
State 58.6%
Federal 10.5%
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
- 443
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 321
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
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 Cohen Middle School
How many students attend Cohen Middle School?
Cohen Middle School has 251 students enrolled. It is a middle school in ELMIRA HEIGHTS, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cohen Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cohen Middle School is 9.6:1, which is 18% lower than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 40% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cohen Middle School?
49.6% of students at Cohen Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cohen Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Cohen Middle School is White at 82.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in ELMIRA HEIGHTS, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cohen Middle School?
Cohen Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.