Enrollment
1,385
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 361968001803
Valley Central High School — Montgomery, NY
Federal NCES profile for Valley Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 52
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 25
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: Valley Central School District (Montgomery) · 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)
113.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.0%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley Central High 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
Valley Central High School reports 1,385 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 113.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the New York average and 36% below the national baseline. The school offers 11 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 231 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Valley Central School District (Montgomery) spends $26,914 per pupil district-wide, below the New York average of $29,727 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 55.0% from local sources (property taxes), 38.4% from the state, and 6.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), 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 Valley Central High 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 | 11.9:1 | ▲ 2% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.0% | ▼ 41% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,385 | top 97% | — | — |
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
33.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.9:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 58% in New York — lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
30.0%
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
$26,914
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 231 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
81
in-school suspensions + 126 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,385 Top 97% in New York — larger than 3% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 113.0
Students per teacher 11.9:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.0% -41% vs state
NCES ID 361968001803
Student demographics
White 50.1%
Hispanic or Latino 33.5%
African American 9.6%
Two or More 5.0%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 50.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 11
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 231:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.0%
In-school suspensions 81
Out-of-school suspensions 126
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Valley Central School District (Montgomery), which includes Valley Central High School.
$26,914
Per student
-9%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
+38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 55.0%
State 38.4%
Federal 6.6%
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
- 945
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Enrollment
- 539
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Enrollment
- 497
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Enrollment
- 339
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
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 Valley Central High School
How many students attend Valley Central High School?
Valley Central High School has 1,385 students enrolled. It is a high school in MONTGOMERY, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley Central High School is 11.9:1, which is 2% higher than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Valley Central High School?
33.0% of students at Valley Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Valley Central High School is White at 50.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in MONTGOMERY, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Central High School?
Valley Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) 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.