Elementary school (grades K-5) · Manchester, CT

Verplanck School

Federal NCES profile for Verplanck School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 090231000429
0/100100/10032/100
👥 S:T ratio
58
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Verplanck School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Connecticut schools.

#6 of 6
elementary schools in Manchester · Resource Index
32
Resource Index · Typical
10.4:1
small classes for Connecticut
56.7%
free-lunch eligible

Verplanck School has class sizes smaller than 74% of Connecticut schools. Computed live against every Connecticut school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Verplanck School ranks #6 of 6 elementary schools in Manchester, CT.

Enrollment

466

Connecticut · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

45.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

10.4:1

vs 12.1:1 Connecticut avg

-14% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

56.7%

vs 36.4% Connecticut avg

+56% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Verplanck School compares with Connecticut and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Verplanck School

Verplanck School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Manchester, Connecticut, enrolling 466 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Connecticut schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 56.7% of students eligible for free meals.

With 466 students, its enrollment sits close to the Connecticut median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,003 scored Connecticut schools.

Among 177 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Connecticut schools statewide, it ranks #145, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (50%) and African American (23%) (diversity index 67/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Manchester's elementary schools, it stands alongside Elisabeth M. Bennet Academy (864 students): Verplanck School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (10.4:1 vs 9.5:1).

Manchester School District also operates Manchester High School (1,703 students) and Elisabeth M. Bennet Academy (864 students) alongside Verplanck 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 Verplanck School compares

Verplanck School on the metrics families compare, against Connecticut and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Connecticut Connecticut avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 10.4:1 ▼ 14% 12.1:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 56.7% ▲ 56% 36.4% 51.7%
Enrollment 466 top 38% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
466
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
56.7%
free-lunch eligible - 56% 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
10.4:1
students per teacher - 14% below state mean
Top 26% in Connecticut - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
37.3%
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
$27,647
per pupil, district-wide - above Connecticut avg of $23,870
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially 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 + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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

Hispanic or Latino 50.0%
African American 23.2%
White 14.4%
Asian 6.4%
Two or More 5.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 50.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 66.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 66.9, Verplanck School is more mixed than the Connecticut school average of 50.5.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Manchester School District, which includes Verplanck School.

$27,647
Per student
+16%
vs Connecticut
Avg $23,870
+67%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.2%
State 34.0%
Federal 9.8%

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 Verplanck School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Manchester High School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Elisabeth M. Bennet Academy Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Illing Middle School Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Waddell School Similar size Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Bowers School Similar size Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Verplanck School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Manchester School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Manchester

5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Connecticut, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Verplanck School's federal record.

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 Verplanck School

How many students attend Verplanck School?

Verplanck School has 466 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Manchester, CT.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Verplanck School?

The student-teacher ratio at Verplanck School is 10.4:1, which is 14% lower than the Connecticut average of 12.1:1 and 34% 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 Verplanck School?

56.7% of students at Verplanck School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Connecticut average of 36.4%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Verplanck School?

The largest demographic group at Verplanck School is Hispanic or Latino at 50.0% of enrollment, in Manchester, CT. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.9/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Verplanck School?

Verplanck School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Verplanck School rank among elementary schools in Manchester?

By Resource Investment Index, Verplanck School ranks #6 of 6 elementary schools in Manchester, CT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Manchester on the city page.

Is Verplanck School a good school?

Verplanck School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Connecticut schools. 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 Manchester School District?

Besides Verplanck School, Manchester School District also operates Manchester High School (1,703 students), Elisabeth M. Bennet Academy (864 students), and Illing Middle School (763 students). See the Manchester School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.