Enrollment
336
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Rochester, NY
Dr Walter Cooper Academy
Federal NCES profile for Dr Walter Cooper Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 362475006109
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dr Walter Cooper Academy earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median.
- #25 of 43
- schools in Rochester · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12:1
- students per teacher
- 89.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Dr Walter Cooper Academy has class sizes near the New York median. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dr Walter Cooper Academy ranks #25 of 43 schools in Rochester, NY.
School address
District: Rochester City School District · New York
NCES ID 362475006109 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.3%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dr Walter Cooper Academy compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dr Walter Cooper Academy
Dr Walter Cooper Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Rochester, New York, enrolling 336 students.
At 12:1, 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 is high: 89.3% of students qualify for free meals, 59% above the New York average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 336 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 771 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #470.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 69.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Rochester City School District also operates Edison Career and Technology High School (1,362 students) and School of the Arts (1,065 students) alongside Dr Walter Cooper Academy.
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 Dr Walter Cooper Academy compares
Dr Walter Cooper Academy 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 | 12:1 | ▲ 2% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.3% | ▲ 59% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 336 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
336
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% above the New York average of 56.2%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 59% in New York - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
69.3%
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
$28,608
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.9 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.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rochester City School District, which includes Dr Walter Cooper Academy.
$28,608
Per student
+8%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+72%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.4%
State 64.3%
Federal 24.4%
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 Dr Walter Cooper Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edison Career and Technology High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| School of the Arts | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| School 33-John James Audubon | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Franklin Upper School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| School 58-World of Inquiry School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dr Walter Cooper Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,362
- Students per teacher
- 8.8:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,065
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 980
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 969
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 896
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~336 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dr Walter Cooper Academy's federal record.
- Compare Dr Walter Cooper Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Rochester City 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 Dr Walter Cooper Academy
How many students attend Dr Walter Cooper Academy?
Dr Walter Cooper Academy has 336 students enrolled. It is a public school in Rochester, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dr Walter Cooper Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Dr Walter Cooper Academy is 12:1, which is 2% 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 Dr Walter Cooper Academy?
89.3% of students at Dr Walter Cooper Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dr Walter Cooper Academy?
Dr Walter Cooper Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Dr Walter Cooper Academy rank among schools in Rochester?
By Resource Investment Index, Dr Walter Cooper Academy ranks #25 of 43 schools in Rochester, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Rochester on the city page.
Is Dr Walter Cooper Academy a good school?
Dr Walter Cooper Academy earns 27/100 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 Rochester City School District?
Besides Dr Walter Cooper Academy, Rochester City School District also operates Edison Career and Technology High School (1,362 students), School of the Arts (1,065 students), and School 33-John James Audubon (980 students). See the Rochester City 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.