Enrollment
244
Rhode Island · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Providence, RI
Providence Preparatory Charter
Federal NCES profile for Providence Preparatory Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 440003900541Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Providence Preparatory Charter earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Rhode Island schools.
- #4 of 26
- elementary schools in Providence · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 40.7:1
- large classes for Rhode Island
- 96.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Providence Preparatory Charter has class sizes larger than 99% of Rhode Island schools. Computed live against every Rhode Island school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Providence Preparatory Charter ranks #4 of 26 elementary schools in Providence, RI.
School address
District: Providence Preparatory Charter · Rhode Island
NCES ID 440003900541 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
40.7:1
vs 13.8:1 Rhode Island avg
+195% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.6%
vs 39.6% Rhode Island avg
+144% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Providence Preparatory Charter compares with Rhode Island and U.S. medians
What stands out at Providence Preparatory Charter
Providence Preparatory Charter is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Providence, Rhode Island, enrolling 244 students.
Class loads run heavy: 40.7:1 is larger than about 99% of Rhode Island schools and 195% above the 13.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 96.6% of students qualify for free meals, 144% above the Rhode Island average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 244 puts it in the smaller third of Rhode Island schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 308 scored Rhode Island schools.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (63%) and African American (27%) (diversity index 53/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Providence Preparatory Charter spends $25,688 per pupil, 26% above the Rhode Island average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 31.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Providence's elementary schools, it stands alongside Alfred Lima Sr. El School (662 students): Providence Preparatory Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (40.7:1 vs 16.1:1).
Providence Preparatory Charter is a single-school charter district, so Providence Preparatory Charter operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Providence Preparatory Charter compares
Providence Preparatory Charter 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 | 40.7:1 | ▲ 195% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.6% | ▲ 144% | 39.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 244 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
40.7:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
244
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
96.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 144% above the Rhode Island average of 39.6%
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
40.7:1
students per teacher
- 195% above state mean
Top 99% in Rhode Island - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
18.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$25,688
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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
Hispanic or Latino 63.1%
African American 27.0%
White 5.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.0%
Asian 1.6%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.5, Providence Preparatory Charter is more mixed than the Rhode Island school average of 47.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Providence Preparatory Charter, which includes Providence Preparatory Charter.
$25,688
Per student
+26%
vs Rhode Island
Avg $20,315
+55%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.1%
State 50.4%
Federal 31.5%
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 Providence
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Alfred Lima Sr. El School
Standard public school
662 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Frank D. Spaziano Elem School
Standard public school
588 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Achievement First Promesa
Standard public school
548 students 20.3:1 students per teacher
West Broadway Middle School
Standard public school
516 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
George J. West El. School
Standard public school
502 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Carl G. Lauro El. School
Standard public school
475 students 11:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~244 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~40.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Providence Preparatory Charter's federal record.
- Compare Providence Preparatory Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Providence Preparatory Charter'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 Providence Preparatory Charter
How many students attend Providence Preparatory Charter?
Providence Preparatory Charter has 244 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Providence, RI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Providence Preparatory Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Providence Preparatory Charter is 40.7:1, which is 195% higher than the Rhode Island average of 13.8:1 and 159% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Providence Preparatory Charter?
96.6% of students at Providence Preparatory Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Rhode Island average of 39.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Providence Preparatory Charter?
The largest demographic group at Providence Preparatory Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 63.1% of enrollment, in Providence, RI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Providence Preparatory Charter?
Providence Preparatory Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Providence Preparatory Charter rank among elementary schools in Providence?
By Resource Investment Index, Providence Preparatory Charter ranks #4 of 26 elementary schools in Providence, RI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Providence on the city page.
Is Providence Preparatory Charter a good school?
Providence Preparatory Charter earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of 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 Providence Preparatory Charter?
None; Providence Preparatory Charter is a single-school charter district, and Providence Preparatory Charter is its only campus.
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.