Enrollment
942
Connecticut · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 090177000318
Robert E. Fitch High School — Groton, CT
Federal NCES profile for Robert E. Fitch High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 58
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 69
📋 Attendance 14
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: Groton 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)
95.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 12.1:1 Connecticut avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.0%
vs 36.4% Connecticut avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Robert E. Fitch High School 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
Robert E. Fitch High School reports 942 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 95.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% 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 33% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% below the Connecticut average and 34% below the national baseline. The school offers 16 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 157 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Groton School District spends $28,275 per pupil district-wide, above the Connecticut average of $28,239 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.5% from local sources (property taxes), 45.0% from the state, and 6.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-), calculated from 5 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 Robert E. Fitch High School 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 | 10.6:1 | ▼ 12% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.0% | ▼ 7% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 942 | top 92% | — | — |
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
34.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% below the Connecticut average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.6:1
students per teacher
— 12% below state mean
Top 26% in Connecticut — lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
34.2%
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
$28,275
per pupil, district-wide
— above Connecticut avg of $28,239
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 157 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
110
in-school suspensions + 87 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 9 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 942 Top 92% in Connecticut — larger than 8% of 1,005 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 95.0
Students per teacher 10.6:1 -12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.0% -7% vs state
NCES ID 090177000318
Student demographics
White 42.6%
Hispanic or Latino 26.0%
Two or More 13.5%
African American 9.1%
Asian 7.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 42.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 16
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 157:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.2%
In-school suspensions 110
Out-of-school suspensions 87
Expulsions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Groton School District, which includes Robert E. Fitch High School.
$28,275
Per student
+0%
vs Connecticut
Avg $28,239
+45%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 48.5%
State 45.0%
Federal 6.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 884
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 520
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 392
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 375
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
Similar high schools in Groton
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Robert E. Fitch High School
How many students attend Robert E. Fitch High School?
Robert E. Fitch High School has 942 students enrolled. It is a high school in Groton, CT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Robert E. Fitch High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Robert E. Fitch High School is 10.6:1, which is 12% lower than the Connecticut average of 12.1:1 and 33% 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 Robert E. Fitch High School?
34.0% of students at Robert E. Fitch High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Connecticut average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Robert E. Fitch High School?
The largest demographic group at Robert E. Fitch High School is White at 42.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Groton, CT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Robert E. Fitch High School?
Robert E. Fitch High School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.