Enrollment
419
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 363024004062
Watkins Glen Central High School — Watkins Glen, NY
Federal NCES profile for Watkins Glen Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 30
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: Watkins Glen Central 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)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.2%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watkins Glen 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
Watkins Glen Central High School reports 419 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% below the New York state mean of 11.7:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 34% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 41.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% below the New York average and 20% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 210 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Watkins Glen Central School District spends $31,405 per pupil district-wide, above the New York average of $29,727 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.6% from local sources (property taxes), 53.7% from the state, and 9.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), 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 Watkins Glen 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 | 10.5:1 | ▼ 10% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.2% | ▼ 27% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 419 | top 49% | — | — |
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
41.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% below 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
10.5:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 34% in New York — lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
28.2%
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
$31,405
per pupil, district-wide
— above New York avg of $29,727
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 210 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 56 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 419 Top 49% in New York — larger than 51% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 10.5:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 41.2% -27% vs state
NCES ID 363024004062
Student demographics
White 91.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.3%
Two or More 3.3%
Asian 1.2%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: White at 91.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 5
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 210:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.2%
In-school suspensions 18
Out-of-school suspensions 56
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Watkins Glen Central School District, which includes Watkins Glen Central High School.
$31,405
Per student
+6%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
+61%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.6%
State 53.7%
Federal 9.7%
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
- 460
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
Similar other schools in Watkins Glen
1 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 Watkins Glen Central High School
How many students attend Watkins Glen Central High School?
Watkins Glen Central High School has 419 students enrolled. It is a other school in WATKINS GLEN, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watkins Glen Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Watkins Glen Central High School is 10.5:1, which is 10% lower than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 34% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Watkins Glen Central High School?
41.2% of students at Watkins Glen 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 Watkins Glen Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Watkins Glen Central High School is White at 91.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in WATKINS GLEN, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watkins Glen Central High School?
Watkins Glen Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 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.