Enrollment
175
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Brooklyn, NY
Ms 35 Stephen Decatur
Federal NCES profile for Ms 35 Stephen Decatur, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 360009402163
👥 S:T ratio 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ms 35 Stephen Decatur earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of New York schools.
- #58 of 94
- middle schools in Brooklyn · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.8:1
- small classes for New York
- 85.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Ms 35 Stephen Decatur has class sizes smaller than 84% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ms 35 Stephen Decatur ranks #58 of 94 middle schools in Brooklyn, NY.
School address
District: New York City Geographic District #16 · New York
NCES ID 360009402163 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.8:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.4%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ms 35 Stephen Decatur compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ms 35 Stephen Decatur
Ms 35 Stephen Decatur is a high-poverty, small middle school in Brooklyn, New York, enrolling 175 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 85.4% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of New York schools, with 175 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 302 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #176.
Its student body is predominantly African American (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
New York City Geographic District #16 also operates Brooklyn High School for Law and Technology (469 students) and Ps 40 George W Carver (465 students) alongside Ms 35 Stephen Decatur.
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 Ms 35 Stephen Decatur compares
Ms 35 Stephen Decatur 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 | 85.4% | ▲ 52% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 175 | top 93% | - | - |
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.
175
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% 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
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
61.1%
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.
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
African American 85.7%
Hispanic or Latino 12.6%
White 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Two or More 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 85.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.0, Ms 35 Stephen Decatur is less mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
How Ms 35 Stephen Decatur Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn High School for Law and Technology | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ps 40 George W Carver | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ps 21 Crispus Attucks | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Boys and Girls High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Brooklyn Brownstone School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ms 35 Stephen Decatur's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 430
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 7.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
Similar middle 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 (~175 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ms 35 Stephen Decatur's federal record.
- Compare Ms 35 Stephen Decatur against another school. Compare schools
- New York City Geographic District #16'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 Ms 35 Stephen Decatur
How many students attend Ms 35 Stephen Decatur?
Ms 35 Stephen Decatur has 175 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Brooklyn, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ms 35 Stephen Decatur?
The student-teacher ratio at Ms 35 Stephen Decatur 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 Ms 35 Stephen Decatur?
85.4% of students at Ms 35 Stephen Decatur are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ms 35 Stephen Decatur?
The largest demographic group at Ms 35 Stephen Decatur is African American at 85.7% of enrollment, in Brooklyn, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ms 35 Stephen Decatur?
Ms 35 Stephen Decatur has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ms 35 Stephen Decatur rank among middle schools in Brooklyn?
By Resource Investment Index, Ms 35 Stephen Decatur ranks #58 of 94 middle schools in Brooklyn, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Brooklyn on the city page.
Is Ms 35 Stephen Decatur a good school?
Ms 35 Stephen Decatur earns 32/100 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 New York City Geographic District #16?
Besides Ms 35 Stephen Decatur, New York City Geographic District #16 also operates Brooklyn High School for Law and Technology (469 students), Ps 40 George W Carver (465 students), and Ps 21 Crispus Attucks (430 students). See the New York City Geographic District #16 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.