Enrollment
945
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Montgomery, NY
Valley Central Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Valley Central Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 361968001802
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Valley Central Middle School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Montgomery · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.6:1
- students per teacher
- 35.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Valley Central Middle School has class sizes near the New York median. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Central Middle School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Montgomery, NY.
School address
District: Valley Central School District (Montgomery) · New York
NCES ID 361968001802 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
89.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.8%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley Central Middle School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Valley Central Middle School
Valley Central Middle School is a large middle school in Montgomery, New York, enrolling 945 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.8% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New York, bigger than 91% of state schools at 945 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 393 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #93.
Its student body is led by White (51%) and Hispanic or Latino (33%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 236 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Valley Central School District (Montgomery) also operates Valley Central High School (1,385 students) and Montgomery Elementary School (539 students) alongside Valley Central Middle School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Valley Central Middle School compares
Valley Central Middle School on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.6:1 | ▼ 10% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.8% | ▼ 36% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 945 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.6:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
945
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% 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
10.6:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 38% in New York - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$25,646
per pupil, district-wide
- below New York avg of $26,410
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 236 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
90
in-school suspensions + 94 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 50.7%
Hispanic or Latino 33.3%
African American 8.4%
Two or More 5.7%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 50.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.2, Valley Central Middle School is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Valley Central School District (Montgomery), which includes Valley Central Middle School.
$25,646
Per student
-3%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+55%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Valley Central Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Montgomery Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Berea Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Walden Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Coldenham Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Valley Central Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,385
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 539
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 497
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 339
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~945 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Valley Central Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Valley Central Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Valley Central School District (Montgomery)'s spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Valley Central Middle School
How many students attend Valley Central Middle School?
Valley Central Middle School has 945 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Montgomery, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Central Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley Central Middle School is 10.6:1, which is 10% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 32% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Valley Central Middle School?
35.8% of students at Valley Central Middle 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 Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Valley Central Middle School is White at 50.7% of enrollment, in Montgomery, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Central Middle School?
Valley Central Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Valley Central Middle School rank among public schools in Montgomery?
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Central Middle School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Montgomery, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Montgomery on the city page.
Is Valley Central Middle School a good school?
Valley Central Middle School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Valley Central School District (Montgomery)?
Besides Valley Central Middle School, Valley Central School District (Montgomery) also operates Valley Central High School (1,385 students), Montgomery Elementary School (539 students), and Berea Elementary School (497 students). See the Valley Central School District (Montgomery) district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Compare schools
Side-by-side comparison tool
Schools in New York
All public schools in New York
Valley Central School District (Montgomery)
All schools in this district
Schools in Montgomery
All schools in this city
School districts
Ranked by enrollment & spending
Rankings
Best schools by state & type
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.