Enrollment
328
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 362376004616
Smith Early Learning Center — Poughkeepsie, NY
Federal NCES profile for Smith Early Learning Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 20/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 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: Poughkeepsie 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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
+50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.5%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith Early Learning Center 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
Smith Early Learning Center reports 328 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 50% 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 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 80.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 43% above the New York average and 55% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 65.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Poughkeepsie City School District spends $28,912 per pupil district-wide, below the New York average of $29,727 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.0% from local sources (property taxes), 57.9% from the state, and 17.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F), 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 Smith Early Learning Center 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 | 17.5:1 | ▲ 50% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.5% | ▲ 43% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 328 | top 30% | — | — |
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
80.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 43% 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 50% above state mean
Top 97% in New York — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
65.5%
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
$28,912
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.
Overview
Enrollment 328 Top 30% in New York — larger than 70% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 +50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 80.5% +43% vs state
NCES ID 362376004616
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 46.0%
African American 40.9%
Two or More 8.2%
White 4.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 46.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 65.5%
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poughkeepsie City School District, which includes Smith Early Learning Center.
$28,912
Per student
-3%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
+48%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.0%
State 57.9%
Federal 17.1%
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
- 1,151
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 871
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Enrollment
- 419
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 286
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
Similar other schools in Poughkeepsie
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Smith Early Learning Center
How many students attend Smith Early Learning Center?
Smith Early Learning Center has 328 students enrolled. It is a other school in POUGHKEEPSIE, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smith Early Learning Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Smith Early Learning Center is 17.5:1, which is 50% higher than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Smith Early Learning Center?
80.5% of students at Smith Early Learning Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smith Early Learning Center?
The largest demographic group at Smith Early Learning Center is Hispanic or Latino at 46.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in POUGHKEEPSIE, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith Early Learning Center?
Smith Early Learning Center has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F) 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.