Enrollment
421
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 361239001005
Gowanda Elementary School — Gowanda, NY
Federal NCES profile for Gowanda Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 66
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 0
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: Gowanda 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)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.6:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.4%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gowanda Elementary 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
Gowanda Elementary School reports 421 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 53.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% 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 46% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 61.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% above the New York average and 19% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 421 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 49.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gowanda Central School District spends $42,304 per pupil district-wide, above the New York average of $29,727 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 15.2% from local sources (property taxes), 67.4% from the state, and 17.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), 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 Gowanda Elementary 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 | 8.6:1 | ▼ 26% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.4% | ▲ 9% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 421 | top 49% | — | — |
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
61.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% above 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
8.6:1
students per teacher
— 26% below state mean
Top 12% in New York — lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
49.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$42,304
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 421 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 421 Top 49% in New York — larger than 51% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 53.0
Students per teacher 8.6:1 -26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 61.4% +9% vs state
NCES ID 361239001005
Student demographics
White 56.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 24.0%
Two or More 13.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.5%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 56.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 421:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 49.9%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gowanda Central School District, which includes Gowanda Elementary School.
$42,304
Per student
+42%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
+117%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 15.2%
State 67.4%
Federal 17.5%
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
- 334
- Students per teacher
- 8.5:1
- Enrollment
- 298
- Students per teacher
- 8.2:1
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 Gowanda Elementary School
How many students attend Gowanda Elementary School?
Gowanda Elementary School has 421 students enrolled. It is a other school in GOWANDA, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gowanda Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gowanda Elementary School is 8.6:1, which is 26% lower than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 46% 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 Gowanda Elementary School?
61.4% of students at Gowanda Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gowanda Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Gowanda Elementary School is White at 56.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in GOWANDA, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gowanda Elementary School?
Gowanda Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) 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.