Enrollment
380
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Staten Island, NY
Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park
Federal NCES profile for Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 360010302110
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 75% of New York schools.
- #28 of 56
- schools in Staten Island · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 9.7:1
- small classes for New York
- 86.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park has class sizes smaller than 75% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park ranks #28 of 56 schools in Staten Island, NY.
School address
District: New York City Geographic District #31 · New York
NCES ID 360010302110 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.7:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.0%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park
Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Staten Island, New York, enrolling 380 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 86.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 380 students, its enrollment sits close to the New York median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 896 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #300.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (67%) and African American (15%) (diversity index 52/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 72.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
New York City Geographic District #31 also operates Tottenville High School (3,750 students) and New Dorp High School (3,055 students) alongside Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park.
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 Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park compares
Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.7:1 | ▼ 18% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.0% | ▲ 53% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 380 | top 59% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.7:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
380
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 53% above the New York average of 56.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
9.7:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 25% in New York - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
72.1%
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.
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 66.6%
African American 14.7%
White 10.3%
Asian 5.0%
Two or More 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 66.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.1, Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
How Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tottenville High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Dorp High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Susan E Wagner High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Curtis High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Port Richmond High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,750
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 3,055
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,743
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,439
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,696
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~380 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park's federal record.
- Compare Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park against another school. Compare schools
- New York City Geographic District #31'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 Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park
How many students attend Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park?
Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park has 380 students enrolled. It is a public school in Staten Island, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park?
The student-teacher ratio at Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park is 9.7:1, which is 18% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 38% 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 Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park?
86.0% of students at Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park?
The largest demographic group at Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park is Hispanic or Latino at 66.6% of enrollment, in Staten Island, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park?
Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (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 Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park rank among schools in Staten Island?
By Resource Investment Index, Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park ranks #28 of 56 schools in Staten Island, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Staten Island on the city page.
Is Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park a good school?
Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 75% of New York 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 New York City Geographic District #31?
Besides Ps 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park, New York City Geographic District #31 also operates Tottenville High School (3,750 students), New Dorp High School (3,055 students), and Susan E Wagner High School (2,743 students). See the New York City Geographic District #31 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.