Enrollment
869
Rhode Island · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · North Scituate, RI
Ponaganset High School
Federal NCES profile for Ponaganset High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 440042000116
👥 S:T ratio 51
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ponaganset High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Rhode Island median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Rhode Island schools.
- #6 of 6
- public schools in North Scituate · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.2:1
- students per teacher
- 11.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Ponaganset High School has class sizes near the Rhode Island median. Computed live against every Rhode Island school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ponaganset High School ranks #6 of 6 public schools in North Scituate, RI.
School address
District: Foster-Glocester · Rhode Island
NCES ID 440042000116 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
71.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 13.8:1 Rhode Island avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.6%
vs 39.6% Rhode Island avg
-71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ponaganset High School compares with Rhode Island and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ponaganset High School
Ponaganset High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in North Scituate, Rhode Island, enrolling 869 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Rhode Island schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.6% free-meal eligibility runs 71% below the Rhode Island average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Rhode Island, bigger than 93% of state schools at 869 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 308 scored Rhode Island schools.
Against 31 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #12.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 21/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 217 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among North Scituate's high schools, it stands alongside Scituate High School (387 students): Ponaganset High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (12.2:1 vs 11.4:1).
Its district, Foster-Glocester, also runs Ponaganset Middle School (396 students).
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 Ponaganset High School compares
Ponaganset High School on the metrics families compare, against Rhode Island and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Rhode Island | Rhode Island avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.2:1 | ▼ 12% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.6% | ▼ 71% | 39.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 869 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
869
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% below the Rhode Island average of 39.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 36% in Rhode Island - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.9%
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
$20,168
per pupil, district-wide
- below Rhode Island avg of $20,315
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 217 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
60
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.0 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 88.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.9%
Two or More 3.9%
Asian 0.9%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 88.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.0, Ponaganset High School is less mixed than the Rhode Island school average of 47.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Foster-Glocester, which includes Ponaganset High School.
$20,168
Per student
-1%
vs Rhode Island
Avg $20,315
+22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 65.3%
State 27.8%
Federal 6.9%
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.
How Ponaganset High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponaganset Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ponaganset High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 396
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar high schools in North Scituate
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Rhode Island, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~869 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ponaganset High School's federal record.
- Compare Ponaganset High School against another school. Compare schools
- Foster-Glocester'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 Ponaganset High School
How many students attend Ponaganset High School?
Ponaganset High School has 869 students enrolled. It is a high school in North Scituate, RI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ponaganset High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ponaganset High School is 12.2:1, which is 12% lower than the Rhode Island average of 13.8:1 and 22% 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 Ponaganset High School?
11.6% of students at Ponaganset High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Rhode Island average of 39.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ponaganset High School?
The largest demographic group at Ponaganset High School is White at 88.6% of enrollment, in North Scituate, RI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ponaganset High School?
Ponaganset High School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ponaganset High School rank among public schools in North Scituate?
By Resource Investment Index, Ponaganset High School ranks #6 of 6 public schools in North Scituate, RI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in North Scituate on the city page.
Is Ponaganset High School a good school?
Ponaganset High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Rhode Island median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Rhode Island 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 Foster-Glocester?
Besides Ponaganset High School, Foster-Glocester also operates Ponaganset Middle School (396 students). See the Foster-Glocester 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.