Enrollment
749
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 360010002667
Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway — Forest Hills, NY
Federal NCES profile for Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 62
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: New York City Geographic District #28 · 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)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
+38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.4%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway 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
Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway reports 749 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 49.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 38% 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 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 19.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 65% below the New York average and 63% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway 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 | 16.1:1 | ▲ 38% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.4% | ▼ 65% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 749 | top 84% | — | — |
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
19.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 65% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
— 38% above state mean
Top 94% in New York — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Overview
Enrollment 749 Top 84% in New York — larger than 16% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 49.0
Students per teacher 16.1:1 +38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 19.4% -65% vs state
NCES ID 360010002667
Student demographics
Asian 43.3%
White 29.2%
Hispanic or Latino 16.3%
Two or More 9.3%
African American 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Asian at 43.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.2%
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,394
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,298
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,146
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 1,611
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,265
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
Similar other schools in Forest Hills
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Forest Hills High School
Standard public school
3,394 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School
Standard public school
837 students 12:1 students per teacher
Ps 144 Col Jeromus Remsen
Standard public school
766 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Ps 220 Edward Mandel
Standard public school
616 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Ps 101 School in the Gardens
Standard public school
605 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Academy for Excellence Through the Arts (the)
Standard public school
573 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
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 Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway
How many students attend Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway?
Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway has 749 students enrolled. It is a other school in FOREST HILLS, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway?
The student-teacher ratio at Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway is 16.1:1, which is 38% higher than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway?
19.4% of students at Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway?
The largest demographic group at Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway is Asian at 43.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in FOREST HILLS, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway?
Ps 196 Grand Central Parkway has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.