Enrollment
281
Connecticut · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 090001500809 Charter school
The Bridge Academy — Bridgeport, CT
Federal NCES profile for The Bridge Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 65
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: The Bridge Academy 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.
Free-lunch eligible
61.8%
vs 36.4% Connecticut avg
+70% vs state
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
The Bridge Academy reports 281 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 61.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 70% above the Connecticut average and 19% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 281 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding The Bridge Academy District spends $17,068 per pupil district-wide, below the Connecticut average of $28,239 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 8.5% from local sources (property taxes), 68.4% from the state, and 23.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 The Bridge Academy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.8% | ▲ 70% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 281 | top 20% | — | — |
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
61.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 70% above the Connecticut average of 36.4%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Engagement
13.9%
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.
Funding equity
$17,068
per pupil, district-wide
— below Connecticut avg of $28,239
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 281 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 281 Top 20% in Connecticut — larger than 80% of 1,005 state schools
Teachers (FTE) —
Students per teacher —
Free-lunch eligible 61.8% +70% vs state
NCES ID 090001500809
Student demographics
African American 49.8%
Hispanic or Latino 45.2%
Two or More 2.5%
Asian 1.1%
White 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Largest group: African American at 49.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 281:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for The Bridge Academy District, which includes The Bridge Academy.
$17,068
Per student
-40%
vs Connecticut
Avg $28,239
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 8.5%
State 68.4%
Federal 23.1%
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.
Similar other schools in Bridgeport
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Achievement First Bridgeport Academy
Standard public school
1,090 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Blackham School
Standard public school
1,088 students 17:1 students per teacher
Cesar Batalla School
Standard public school
990 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Read School
Standard public school
863 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Geraldine Johnson School
Standard public school
825 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Capital Preparatory Harbor School
Standard public school
775 students 25.7:1 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 The Bridge Academy
How many students attend The Bridge Academy?
The Bridge Academy has 281 students enrolled. It is a other school in Bridgeport, CT.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at The Bridge Academy?
61.8% of students at The Bridge Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Connecticut average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Bridge Academy?
The largest demographic group at The Bridge Academy is African American at 49.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bridgeport, CT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Bridge Academy?
The Bridge Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 3 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.