High school (grades 9-12) · East Setauket, NY

Ward Melville Senior High School

Federal NCES profile for Ward Melville Senior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 362820003809
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Compiled from official source data by .
0/100100/10061/100
👥 S:T ratio
59
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
76
📋 Attendance
81
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Ward Melville Senior High School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median. It is also one of the largest schools in New York.

#2 of 4
public schools in East Setauket · Resource Index
61
Resource Index · Higher
10.3:1
students per teacher
13.8%
free-lunch eligible

Ward Melville Senior High School has class sizes near the New York median. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Ward Melville Senior High School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in East Setauket, NY.

School address

East Setauket, NY 11733
District: Three Village Central School District · New York

NCES ID 362820003809 Verify on NCES CCD record →

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

-15 students YoY

Ward Melville Senior High School held near 1,492 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-15 headcount).

Teacher FTE lost 140.9 → 139.2 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Steady CCD campus

-15 students YoY 362820003809 · East Setauket, NY High · MID · TRAD

1,442 enr · 10.3:1 · 13.8% lunch · RII 61

Nearest enrollment peer: Robert Cushman Murphy Junior High School (655 students)

Ward Melville Senior High School held near 1,492 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-15 headcount). Teacher FTE lost 140.9 → 139.2 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · New York schools → · Find another →

Ward Melville Senior High School in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Ward Melville Senior High School reports 1,442 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Ward Melville Senior High School compares

Ward Melville Senior High School held steady on CCD headcount: ratios and free-lunch share vs New York and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs New York New York avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 10.3:1 ▼ 13% 11.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 13.8% ▼ 75% 56.2% 51.7%
Enrollment 1,442 top 3% - -

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

10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,442
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
13.8%
free-lunch eligible - 75% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher - 13% below state mean
Top 34% in New York - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$36,733
per pupil, district-wide - above New York avg of $28,120
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors12.0 FTE
Per 120 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
48
in-school suspensions + 35 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Student demographics

White 69.2%
Asian 15.8%
Hispanic or Latino 9.8%
Two or More 2.6%
African American 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Largest group: White at 69.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 48.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 48.5, Ward Melville Senior High School is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.

Programs

AP courses offered 25

District finance for Three Village Central School District reports $36,733 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

How Ward Melville Senior High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Robert Cushman Murphy Junior High School Smaller Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Paul J Gelinas Junior High School Smaller Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Minnesauke Elementary School Smaller Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Setauket Elementary School Smaller Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Arrowhead Elementary School Smaller Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Three Village Central School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Nationwide high schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~1,442 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.3:1)

Frequently asked questions about Ward Melville Senior High School

How many students attend Ward Melville Senior High School?

Ward Melville Senior High School has 1,442 students enrolled. It is a high school in East Setauket, NY. CCD year-over-year: 1,507 (2022-23) → 1,492 (2023-24), nearly flat (-15).

What is the student-teacher ratio at Ward Melville Senior High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Ward Melville Senior High School is 10.3:1, which is 13% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 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 Ward Melville Senior High School?

13.8% of students at Ward Melville Senior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ward Melville Senior High School?

The largest demographic group at Ward Melville Senior High School is White at 69.2% of enrollment, in East Setauket, NY.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Ward Melville Senior High School?

Ward Melville Senior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Ward Melville Senior High School rank among public schools in East Setauket?

By Resource Investment Index, Ward Melville Senior High School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in East Setauket, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking.

What other schools are in Three Village Central School District?

Besides Ward Melville Senior High School, Three Village Central School District also operates Robert Cushman Murphy Junior High School (655 students), Paul J Gelinas Junior High School (651 students), and Minnesauke Elementary School (644 students). See the Three Village Central School District district page for the complete list.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 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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Compiled from official source data by .