Enrollment
1,198
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 360015202792
Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro — Brooklyn, NY
Federal NCES profile for Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 32
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: New York City Geographic District #21 · 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)
89.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.7%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro 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
Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro reports 1,198 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 89.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% above the New York state mean of 11.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 80.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 44% above the New York average and 56% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), 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 Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro 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 | 13.1:1 | ▲ 12% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.7% | ▲ 44% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,198 | top 95% | — | — |
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
80.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 44% 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
13.1:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 74% in New York — lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
27.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Overview
Enrollment 1,198 Top 95% in New York — larger than 5% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 89.0
Students per teacher 13.1:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 80.7% +44% vs state
NCES ID 360015202792
Student demographics
Asian 39.7%
Hispanic or Latino 27.6%
White 24.5%
African American 6.5%
Two or More 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Asian at 39.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.3%
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,503
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,210
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 2,209
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,555
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 1,435
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
Similar middle schools in Brooklyn
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Jhs 259 William Mckinley
Standard public school
1,780 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Is 228 David a Boody
Standard public school
1,555 students 14:1 students per teacher
Madeleine Brennan School (the)
Standard public school
1,518 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Jhs 234 Arthur W Cunningham
Standard public school
1,447 students 13:1 students per teacher
Is 98 Bay Academy
Standard public school
1,435 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Jhs 227 Edward B Shallow
Standard public school
1,327 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
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 Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro
How many students attend Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro?
Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro has 1,198 students enrolled. It is a middle school in BROOKLYN, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro?
The student-teacher ratio at Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro is 13.1:1, which is 12% higher than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro?
80.7% of students at Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro?
The largest demographic group at Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro is Asian at 39.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in BROOKLYN, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro?
Is 281 Joseph B Cavallaro has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) 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.