Enrollment
342
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 360016405887 Charter school
Niagara Charter School — Niagara Falls, NY
Federal NCES profile for Niagara Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 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: Niagara Charter School · 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
+46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.3%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Niagara Charter 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
Niagara Charter School reports 342 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 46% 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 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 86.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 54% above the New York average and 67% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 342 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 75.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Niagara Charter School spends $15,870 per pupil district-wide, below the New York average of $29,727 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F), 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 Niagara Charter 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 | 17.1:1 | ▲ 46% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.3% | ▲ 54% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 342 | top 33% | — | — |
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
86.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 54% 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
17.1:1
students per teacher
— 46% above state mean
Top 96% in New York — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
75.4%
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
$15,870
per pupil, district-wide
— below New York avg of $29,727
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 342 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 70 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 342 Top 33% in New York — larger than 67% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 17.1:1 +46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 86.3% +54% vs state
NCES ID 360016405887
Student demographics
African American 49.4%
Two or More 17.5%
Hispanic or Latino 13.7%
White 13.5%
Asian 5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: African American at 49.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 342:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 75.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 70
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Niagara Charter School, which includes Niagara Charter School.
$15,870
Per student
-47%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Similar elementary schools in Niagara Falls
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Niagara Charter School
How many students attend Niagara Charter School?
Niagara Charter School has 342 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in NIAGARA FALLS, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Niagara Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Niagara Charter School is 17.1:1, which is 46% higher than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Niagara Charter School?
86.3% of students at Niagara Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Niagara Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Niagara Charter School is African American at 49.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in NIAGARA FALLS, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Niagara Charter School?
Niagara Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F) 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.