Enrollment
195
Connecticut · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 090216000397
Gales Ferry School — Gales Ferry, CT
Federal NCES profile for Gales Ferry School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 72
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: Ledyard 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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 12.1:1 Connecticut avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.8%
vs 36.4% Connecticut avg
-70% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gales Ferry 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
Gales Ferry School reports 195 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 10.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 70% below the Connecticut average and 79% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ledyard School District spends $21,246 per pupil district-wide, below the Connecticut average of $28,239 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 54.0% from local sources (property taxes), 38.6% from the state, and 7.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-), calculated from 3 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 Gales Ferry 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 | 12.8:1 | ▲ 6% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.8% | ▼ 70% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 195 | top 7% | — | — |
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
10.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 70% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 71% in Connecticut — lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
11.3%
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
$21,246
per pupil, district-wide
— below Connecticut avg of $28,239
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 195 Top 7% in Connecticut — larger than 93% of 1,005 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 12.8:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 10.8% -70% vs state
NCES ID 090216000397
Student demographics
White 75.9%
Hispanic or Latino 14.9%
Two or More 5.1%
African American 2.6%
Asian 1.5%
Largest group: White at 75.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ledyard School District, which includes Gales Ferry School.
$21,246
Per student
-25%
vs Connecticut
Avg $28,239
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 54.0%
State 38.6%
Federal 7.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 592
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 535
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 265
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Gales Ferry
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Gales Ferry School
How many students attend Gales Ferry School?
Gales Ferry School has 195 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Gales Ferry, CT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gales Ferry School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gales Ferry School is 12.8:1, which is 6% higher than the Connecticut average of 12.1:1 and 19% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gales Ferry School?
10.8% of students at Gales Ferry School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Connecticut average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gales Ferry School?
The largest demographic group at Gales Ferry School is White at 75.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gales Ferry, CT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gales Ferry School?
Gales Ferry School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.