Enrollment
637
Connecticut · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 090309000656
Ponus Ridge Steam Academy — Norwalk, CT
Federal NCES profile for Ponus Ridge Steam Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 13
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: Norwalk School District · Connecticut
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)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 12.1:1 Connecticut avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.7%
vs 36.4% Connecticut avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ponus Ridge Steam Academy compares with Connecticut 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
Ponus Ridge Steam Academy reports 637 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 59.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% below the Connecticut state mean of 12.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 31% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 47.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% above the Connecticut average and 8% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 212 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Norwalk School District spends $27,445 per pupil district-wide, below the Connecticut average of $28,239 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 69.3% from local sources (property taxes), 23.3% from the state, and 7.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 Ponus Ridge Steam Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Connecticut state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Connecticut | Connecticut avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.9:1 | ▼ 10% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.7% | ▲ 31% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 637 | top 81% | — | — |
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
47.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 31% above the Connecticut average of 36.4%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 31% in Connecticut — lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
34.7%
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
$27,445
per pupil, district-wide
— below Connecticut avg of $28,239
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 212 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
52
in-school suspensions + 49 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 637 Top 81% in Connecticut — larger than 19% of 1,005 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 59.0
Students per teacher 10.9:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 47.7% +31% vs state
NCES ID 090309000656
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 66.4%
African American 15.7%
White 9.7%
Asian 4.7%
Two or More 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 66.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 212:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.7%
In-school suspensions 52
Out-of-school suspensions 49
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Norwalk School District, which includes Ponus Ridge Steam Academy.
$27,445
Per student
-3%
vs Connecticut
Avg $28,239
+41%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 69.3%
State 23.3%
Federal 7.4%
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
- 1,739
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,494
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 657
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Enrollment
- 499
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 463
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
Similar middle schools in Norwalk
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Ponus Ridge Steam Academy
How many students attend Ponus Ridge Steam Academy?
Ponus Ridge Steam Academy has 637 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Norwalk, CT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ponus Ridge Steam Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Ponus Ridge Steam Academy is 10.9:1, which is 10% lower than the Connecticut average of 12.1:1 and 31% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ponus Ridge Steam Academy?
47.7% of students at Ponus Ridge Steam Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Connecticut average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ponus Ridge Steam Academy?
The largest demographic group at Ponus Ridge Steam Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 66.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Norwalk, CT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ponus Ridge Steam Academy?
Ponus Ridge Steam Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.