Enrollment
1,130
New Hampshire · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 330459000244
Manchester Central High School — Manchester, NH
Federal NCES profile for Manchester Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 46
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 59
📋 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: Manchester School District · New Hampshire
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)
87.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 11.5:1 New Hampshire avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.4%
vs 21.5% New Hampshire avg
+93% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Manchester Central High School compares with New Hampshire 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
Manchester Central High School reports 1,130 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 87.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% above the New Hampshire state mean of 11.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 41.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 93% above the New Hampshire average and 20% below the national baseline. The school offers 15 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 206 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 82.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Manchester School District spends $16,662 per pupil district-wide, below the New Hampshire average of $33,165 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 41.8% from local sources (property taxes), 41.3% from the state, and 16.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Manchester Central High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against New Hampshire 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 Hampshire | New Hampshire avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▲ 17% | 11.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.4% | ▲ 93% | 21.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,130 | top 98% | — | — |
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
41.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 93% above the New Hampshire average of 21.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.4:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 83% in New Hampshire — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
82.5%
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
$16,662
per pupil, district-wide
— below New Hampshire avg of $33,165
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.5 FTE
Per 205 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 328 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,130 Top 98% in New Hampshire — larger than 2% of 500 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 87.0
Students per teacher 13.4:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 41.4% +93% vs state
NCES ID 330459000244
Student demographics
White 35.7%
Hispanic or Latino 33.8%
African American 17.9%
Two or More 10.1%
Asian 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 35.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 15
Counselors (FTE) 5.5
Students per counselor 206:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 82.5%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 328
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Manchester School District, which includes Manchester Central High School.
$16,662
Per student
-50%
vs New Hampshire
Avg $33,165
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 41.8%
State 41.3%
Federal 16.9%
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
- 1,296
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,071
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Enrollment
- 889
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Enrollment
- 775
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Enrollment
- 768
- Students per teacher
- 9.1:1
Similar high schools in Manchester
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Manchester Memorial High School
Standard public school
1,296 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Manchester West High School
Standard public school
764 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Manchester School of Technology (High School)
Standard public school
302 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
The Founders Academy Charter School (H)
Standard public school
152 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies Charter School
Standard public school
96 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Kreiva Academy Public Charter School (H)
Standard public school
76 students
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 Manchester Central High School
How many students attend Manchester Central High School?
Manchester Central High School has 1,130 students enrolled. It is a high school in Manchester, NH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Manchester Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Manchester Central High School is 13.4:1, which is 17% higher than the New Hampshire average of 11.5:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Manchester Central High School?
41.4% of students at Manchester Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Hampshire average of 21.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Manchester Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Manchester Central High School is White at 35.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Manchester, NH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Manchester Central High School?
Manchester Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.