Enrollment
261
New Hampshire · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Franklin, NH
Paul a. Smith School
Federal NCES profile for Paul a. Smith School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 330309000130
👥 S:T ratio 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paul a. Smith School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of New Hampshire schools.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Franklin · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.7:1
- small classes for New Hampshire
- 54.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Paul a. Smith School has class sizes smaller than 84% of New Hampshire schools. Computed live against every New Hampshire school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Paul a. Smith School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Franklin, NH.
School address
District: Franklin School District · New Hampshire
NCES ID 330309000130 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.7:1
vs 11.3:1 New Hampshire avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.7%
vs 21.5% New Hampshire avg
+154% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paul a. Smith School compares with New Hampshire and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paul a. Smith School
Paul a. Smith School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Franklin, New Hampshire, enrolling 261 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 8.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Hampshire schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 54.7% of students qualify for free meals, 154% above the New Hampshire average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 261 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Hampshire median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 500 scored New Hampshire schools.
Against 20 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #9.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 261 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 59.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Franklin School District spends $19,688 per pupil, 31% below the New Hampshire average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 21.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Franklin's public schools, it stands alongside Compass Classical Academy Charter School (E) (149 students): Paul a. Smith School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8.7:1 vs 11.5:1).
Franklin School District also operates Franklin Middle School (301 students) and Franklin High School (280 students) alongside Paul a. Smith 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 Paul a. Smith School compares
Paul a. Smith School on the metrics families compare, against New Hampshire and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Hampshire | New Hampshire avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.7:1 | ▼ 23% | 11.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.7% | ▲ 154% | 21.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 261 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.7:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
261
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 154% above the New Hampshire average of 21.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
8.7:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 16% in New Hampshire - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
59.4%
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
$19,688
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Hampshire avg of $28,358
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 261 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 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 89.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
Two or More 4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 89.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.0, Paul a. Smith School is less mixed than the New Hampshire school average of 24.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Franklin School District, which includes Paul a. Smith School.
$19,688
Per student
-31%
vs New Hampshire
Avg $28,358
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.7%
State 51.5%
Federal 21.8%
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 Paul a. Smith School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Franklin High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paul a. Smith School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 301
- Students per teacher
- 9.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 280
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar other schools in Franklin
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New Hampshire, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~261 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paul a. Smith School's federal record.
- Compare Paul a. Smith School against another school. Compare schools
- Franklin 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 Paul a. Smith School
How many students attend Paul a. Smith School?
Paul a. Smith School has 261 students enrolled. It is a public school in Franklin, NH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paul a. Smith School?
The student-teacher ratio at Paul a. Smith School is 8.7:1, which is 23% lower than the New Hampshire average of 11.3:1 and 45% 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 Paul a. Smith School?
54.7% of students at Paul a. Smith School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Hampshire average of 21.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paul a. Smith School?
The largest demographic group at Paul a. Smith School is White at 89.7% of enrollment, in Franklin, NH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paul a. Smith School?
Paul a. Smith 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 Paul a. Smith School rank among public schools in Franklin?
By Resource Investment Index, Paul a. Smith School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Franklin, NH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Franklin on the city page.
Is Paul a. Smith School a good school?
Paul a. Smith School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of New Hampshire 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 Franklin School District?
Besides Paul a. Smith School, Franklin School District also operates Franklin Middle School (301 students) and Franklin High School (280 students). See the Franklin 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.