Enrollment
440
Connecticut · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 090090000139
Horace W. Porter School — Columbia, CT
Federal NCES profile for Horace W. Porter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 69/100.
👥 Class size 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 71
📋 Attendance 83
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: Columbia 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)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 12.1:1 Connecticut avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.5%
vs 36.4% Connecticut avg
-52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Horace W. Porter 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
Horace W. Porter School reports 440 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Connecticut state mean of 12.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 29% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 17.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 52% below the Connecticut average and 66% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 147 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Columbia School District spends $34,089 per pupil district-wide, above the Connecticut average of $28,239 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 71.0% from local sources (property taxes), 26.8% from the state, and 2.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 69/100 (B-), 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 Horace W. Porter 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 7% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.5% | ▼ 52% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 440 | top 56% | — | — |
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
17.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 52% 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
11.3:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 40% in Connecticut — lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
7.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$34,089
per pupil, district-wide
— above Connecticut avg of $28,239
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 147 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 440 Top 56% in Connecticut — larger than 44% of 1,005 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 11.3:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 17.5% -52% vs state
NCES ID 090090000139
Student demographics
White 83.4%
Hispanic or Latino 10.7%
Two or More 4.5%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 83.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 147:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.0%
In-school suspensions 18
Out-of-school suspensions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia School District, which includes Horace W. Porter School.
$34,089
Per student
+21%
vs Connecticut
Avg $28,239
+75%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 71.0%
State 26.8%
Federal 2.3%
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.
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 Horace W. Porter School
How many students attend Horace W. Porter School?
Horace W. Porter School has 440 students enrolled. It is a other school in Columbia, CT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Horace W. Porter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Horace W. Porter School is 11.3:1, which is 7% lower than the Connecticut average of 12.1:1 and 29% 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 Horace W. Porter School?
17.5% of students at Horace W. Porter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Connecticut average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Horace W. Porter School?
The largest demographic group at Horace W. Porter School is White at 83.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbia, CT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Horace W. Porter School?
Horace W. Porter School has a Resource Investment Index of 69/100 (B-) 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.