Enrollment
265
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 361557001328
Lehman Alternative Community School — Ithaca, NY
Federal NCES profile for Lehman Alternative Community School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 93
📋 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: Ithaca City 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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.5:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lehman Alternative Community 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
Lehman Alternative Community School reports 265 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% 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 40% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 33 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 46.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ithaca City School District spends $29,884 per pupil district-wide, above the New York average of $29,727 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 64.6% from local sources (property taxes), 25.4% from the state, and 10.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), 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 Lehman Alternative Community 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 | 9.5:1 | ▼ 19% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 265 | top 18% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
9.5:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 20% in New York — lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
46.8%
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
$29,884
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
Counselors8.0 FTE
Per 33 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 265 Top 18% in New York — larger than 82% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 9.5:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 361557001328
Student demographics
White 75.7%
Two or More 12.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.3%
Asian 1.9%
African American 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 75.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 8.0
Students per counselor 33:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 46.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ithaca City School District, which includes Lehman Alternative Community School.
$29,884
Per student
+1%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
+53%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 64.6%
State 25.4%
Federal 10.0%
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
- 1,411
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Enrollment
- 559
- Students per teacher
- 7.6:1
- Enrollment
- 513
- Students per teacher
- 8.6:1
- Enrollment
- 363
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Enrollment
- 347
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
Similar other schools in Ithaca
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
South Hill School
Standard public school
363 students 10.9:1 students per teacher
Belle Sherman School
Standard public school
347 students 9.3:1 students per teacher
Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga Boces
Special-education school
309 students 3.8:1 students per teacher
Beverly J Martin Elementary School
Standard public school
258 students 7.6:1 students per teacher
Fall Creek Elementary School
Standard public school
217 students 10.5:1 students per teacher
Enfield School
Standard public school
165 students 6.8:1 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 Lehman Alternative Community School
How many students attend Lehman Alternative Community School?
Lehman Alternative Community School has 265 students enrolled. It is a other school in ITHACA, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lehman Alternative Community School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lehman Alternative Community School is 9.5:1, which is 19% lower than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 40% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lehman Alternative Community School?
The largest demographic group at Lehman Alternative Community School is White at 75.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in ITHACA, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lehman Alternative Community School?
Lehman Alternative Community School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) 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.