Enrollment
309
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Waterloo, NY
La Fayette School
Federal NCES profile for La Fayette School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 360001401428
👥 S:T ratio 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
La Fayette School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of New York schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Waterloo · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.8:1
- small classes for New York
- 52.6%
- free-lunch eligible
La Fayette School has class sizes smaller than 84% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, La Fayette School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Waterloo, NY.
School address
District: Waterloo Central School District · New York
NCES ID 360001401428 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.8:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.6%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How La Fayette School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at La Fayette School
La Fayette School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Waterloo, New York, enrolling 309 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 8.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 52.6% lands close to the New York typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 309 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 669 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #392.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 309 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Waterloo Central School District also operates Waterloo High School (404 students) and Waterloo Middle School (356 students) alongside La Fayette School.
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 La Fayette School compares
La Fayette School 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 | 8.8:1 | ▼ 25% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.6% | ▼ 6% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 309 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.8:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
309
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% below 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
8.8:1
students per teacher
- 25% below state mean
Top 16% in New York - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.3%
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
$24,396
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 309 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
33
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.5 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.
Student demographics
White 74.4%
Hispanic or Latino 11.0%
Two or More 8.7%
African American 3.9%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: White at 74.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.5, La Fayette School is less mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waterloo Central School District, which includes La Fayette School.
$24,396
Per student
-8%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+47%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.4%
State 57.1%
Federal 16.5%
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.
How La Fayette School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Waterloo Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Skoi-Yase School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to La Fayette School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 404
- Students per teacher
- 8.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 356
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 345
- Students per teacher
- 8.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar elementary 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 (~309 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on La Fayette School's federal record.
- Compare La Fayette School against another school. Compare schools
- Waterloo Central 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 La Fayette School
How many students attend La Fayette School?
La Fayette School has 309 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Waterloo, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at La Fayette School?
The student-teacher ratio at La Fayette School is 8.8:1, which is 25% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 44% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at La Fayette School?
52.6% of students at La Fayette School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of La Fayette School?
The largest demographic group at La Fayette School is White at 74.4% of enrollment, in Waterloo, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for La Fayette School?
La Fayette School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does La Fayette School rank among public schools in Waterloo?
By Resource Investment Index, La Fayette School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Waterloo, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Waterloo on the city page.
Is La Fayette School a good school?
La Fayette School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of New York schools. 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 Waterloo Central School District?
Besides La Fayette School, Waterloo Central School District also operates Waterloo High School (404 students), Waterloo Middle School (356 students), and Skoi-Yase School (345 students). See the Waterloo Central 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.