Enrollment
749
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 362937003962
Senator James H Donovan Middle School — Utica, NY
Federal NCES profile for Senator James H Donovan Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 27/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 25
📋 Attendance 0
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: Utica City School District · 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)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.6%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Senator James H Donovan Middle School 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
Senator James H Donovan Middle School reports 749 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 64.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% below the New York state mean of 11.7:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 28% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 82.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% above the New York average and 59% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 375 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 55.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Utica City School District spends $22,010 per pupil district-wide, below the New York average of $29,727 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 14.1% from local sources (property taxes), 75.3% from the state, and 10.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (F), 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 Senator James H Donovan Middle School 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 3% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.6% | ▲ 47% | 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
82.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 47% 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
11.4:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 50% in New York — lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
55.0%
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
$22,010
per pupil, district-wide
— below New York avg of $29,727
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 375 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
43
in-school suspensions + 113 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 28 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 749 Top 84% in New York — larger than 16% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 64.0
Students per teacher 11.4:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 82.6% +47% vs state
NCES ID 362937003962
Student demographics
African American 25.9%
Hispanic or Latino 24.3%
Asian 24.0%
White 17.9%
Two or More 7.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 25.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 375:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 55.0%
In-school suspensions 43
Out-of-school suspensions 113
Expulsions 28
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Utica City School District, which includes Senator James H Donovan Middle School.
$22,010
Per student
-26%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 14.1%
State 75.3%
Federal 10.6%
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
- 2,820
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 687
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 634
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 590
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
Similar middle schools in Utica
1 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 Senator James H Donovan Middle School
How many students attend Senator James H Donovan Middle School?
Senator James H Donovan Middle School has 749 students enrolled. It is a middle school in UTICA, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Senator James H Donovan Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Senator James H Donovan Middle School is 11.4:1, which is 3% lower than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 28% 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 Senator James H Donovan Middle School?
82.6% of students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Senator James H Donovan Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Senator James H Donovan Middle School is African American at 25.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in UTICA, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Senator James H Donovan Middle School?
Senator James H Donovan Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (F) 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.