Enrollment
967
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Centereach, NY
Dawnwood Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Dawnwood Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 361920001737
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dawnwood Middle School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median.
- #2 of 8
- public schools in Centereach · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 35.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Dawnwood Middle School has class sizes near the New York median. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dawnwood Middle School ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Centereach, NY.
School address
District: Middle Country Central School District · New York
NCES ID 361920001737 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
76.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.4%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dawnwood Middle School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dawnwood Middle School
Dawnwood Middle School is a large middle school in Centereach, New York, enrolling 967 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the larger third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.4% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New York, bigger than 91% of state schools at 967 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 4,801 scored New York schools.
Among 364 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New York schools statewide, it ranks #284, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (45%) and Hispanic or Latino (37%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 322 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Middle Country Central School District also operates Newfield High School (1,553 students) and Centereach High School (1,467 students) alongside Dawnwood Middle School.
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 Dawnwood Middle School compares
Dawnwood Middle 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 | 12.7:1 | ▲ 8% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.4% | ▼ 37% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 967 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
967
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 68% in New York - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.1%
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
$26,762
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 322 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 23 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 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 44.7%
Hispanic or Latino 37.4%
Asian 7.1%
African American 6.6%
Two or More 4.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 44.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.9, Dawnwood Middle School is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Middle Country Central School District, which includes Dawnwood Middle School.
$26,762
Per student
+1%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+61%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.3%
State 47.9%
Federal 3.8%
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.
How Dawnwood Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newfield High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Centereach High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Selden Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Lane Memorial Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Unity Drive Kindergarten-Pre K Center | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dawnwood Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,553
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,467
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,080
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 26.6:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
Similar middle 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 (~967 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dawnwood Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Dawnwood Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Middle Country 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 Dawnwood Middle School
How many students attend Dawnwood Middle School?
Dawnwood Middle School has 967 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Centereach, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dawnwood Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dawnwood Middle School is 12.7:1, which is 8% higher than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 19% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dawnwood Middle School?
35.4% of students at Dawnwood Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dawnwood Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Dawnwood Middle School is White at 44.7% of enrollment, in Centereach, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dawnwood Middle School?
Dawnwood Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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).
How does Dawnwood Middle School rank among public schools in Centereach?
By Resource Investment Index, Dawnwood Middle School ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Centereach, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Centereach on the city page.
Is Dawnwood Middle School a good school?
Dawnwood Middle School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median. 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 Middle Country Central School District?
Besides Dawnwood Middle School, Middle Country Central School District also operates Newfield High School (1,553 students), Centereach High School (1,467 students), and Selden Middle School (1,080 students). See the Middle Country 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.