Enrollment
487
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 362445003342
Van Rensselaer Elementary School — Rensselaer, NY
Federal NCES profile for Van Rensselaer Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 24/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 27
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: Rensselaer 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
+36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.0%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Van Rensselaer Elementary 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
Van Rensselaer Elementary School reports 487 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 36% 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 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 70.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 25% above the New York average and 35% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 487 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rensselaer City School District spends $25,992 per pupil district-wide, below the New York average of $29,727 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.3% from local sources (property taxes), 52.3% from the state, and 17.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Van Rensselaer Elementary 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 | 15.9:1 | ▲ 36% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.0% | ▲ 25% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 487 | 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
70.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 25% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 36% above state mean
Top 93% in New York — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.2%
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
$25,992
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 487 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 487 Top 60% in New York — larger than 40% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 +36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 70.0% +25% vs state
NCES ID 362445003342
Student demographics
White 42.1%
Two or More 17.0%
Hispanic or Latino 16.2%
Asian 13.1%
African American 11.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 42.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 487:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rensselaer City School District, which includes Van Rensselaer Elementary School.
$25,992
Per student
-13%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
+33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.3%
State 52.3%
Federal 17.4%
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
- 462
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
Similar other schools in Rensselaer
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 Van Rensselaer Elementary School
How many students attend Van Rensselaer Elementary School?
Van Rensselaer Elementary School has 487 students enrolled. It is a other school in RENSSELAER, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Van Rensselaer Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Van Rensselaer Elementary School is 15.9:1, which is 36% higher than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Van Rensselaer Elementary School?
70.0% of students at Van Rensselaer Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Van Rensselaer Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Van Rensselaer Elementary School is White at 42.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in RENSSELAER, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Van Rensselaer Elementary School?
Van Rensselaer Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F) based on 4 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.