Enrollment
460
Connecticut · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 090345001430
The Friendship School — Waterford, CT
Federal NCES profile for The Friendship School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 72
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: Learn · 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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 12.1:1 Connecticut avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.6%
vs 36.4% Connecticut avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Friendship 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
The Friendship School reports 460 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% above the Connecticut state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 48.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 34% above the Connecticut average and 6% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Learn spends $28,575 per pupil district-wide, above the Connecticut average of $28,239 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 65.3% from local sources (property taxes), 24.1% 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 48/100 (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 Friendship 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 | 14.2:1 | ▲ 17% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.6% | ▲ 34% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 460 | top 60% | — | — |
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
48.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 34% above the Connecticut average of 36.4%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 86% in Connecticut — lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
11.3%
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
$28,575
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 460 Top 60% in Connecticut — larger than 40% of 1,005 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 14.2:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 48.6% +34% vs state
NCES ID 090345001430
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 42.4%
White 30.0%
Two or More 14.1%
African American 10.9%
Asian 2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 42.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Learn, which includes The Friendship School.
$28,575
Per student
+1%
vs Connecticut
Avg $28,239
+47%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 65.3%
State 24.1%
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
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 274
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Enrollment
- 92
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
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 Friendship School
How many students attend The Friendship School?
The Friendship School has 460 students enrolled. It is a other school in Waterford, CT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Friendship School?
The student-teacher ratio at The Friendship School is 14.2:1, which is 17% higher than the Connecticut average of 12.1:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at The Friendship School?
48.6% of students at The Friendship School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Connecticut average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Friendship School?
The largest demographic group at The Friendship School is Hispanic or Latino at 42.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waterford, CT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Friendship School?
The Friendship School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.