Enrollment
736
Connecticut · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 090102001691
Westside Middle School Academy — Danbury, CT
Federal NCES profile for Westside Middle School Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 80
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: Danbury School District · Connecticut
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)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 12.1:1 Connecticut avg
+34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.9%
vs 36.4% Connecticut avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Westside Middle School Academy compares with Connecticut 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
Westside Middle School Academy reports 736 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 46.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 34% above the Connecticut state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 2% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 37.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 4% above the Connecticut average and 27% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 368 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Danbury School District spends $20,274 per pupil district-wide, below the Connecticut average of $28,239 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.2% from local sources (property taxes), 33.3% from the state, and 14.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Westside Middle School Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Connecticut state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Connecticut | Connecticut avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.2:1 | ▲ 34% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.9% | ▲ 4% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 736 | top 86% | — | — |
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
37.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 4% above the Connecticut average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.2:1
students per teacher
— 34% above state mean
Top 96% in Connecticut — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$20,274
per pupil, district-wide
— below Connecticut avg of $28,239
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 368 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
96
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 736 Top 86% in Connecticut — larger than 14% of 1,005 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 46.0
Students per teacher 16.2:1 +34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 37.9% +4% vs state
NCES ID 090102001691
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 57.2%
White 30.3%
African American 5.0%
Asian 4.6%
Two or More 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 57.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 368:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.0%
In-school suspensions 96
Out-of-school suspensions 26
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Danbury School District, which includes Westside Middle School Academy.
$20,274
Per student
-28%
vs Connecticut
Avg $28,239
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.2%
State 33.3%
Federal 14.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,612
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,070
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 888
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Enrollment
- 527
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
Similar middle schools in Danbury
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Westside Middle School Academy
How many students attend Westside Middle School Academy?
Westside Middle School Academy has 736 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Danbury, CT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Westside Middle School Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Westside Middle School Academy is 16.2:1, which is 34% higher than the Connecticut average of 12.1:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Westside Middle School Academy?
37.9% of students at Westside Middle School Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Connecticut average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Westside Middle School Academy?
The largest demographic group at Westside Middle School Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 57.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Danbury, CT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Westside Middle School Academy?
Westside Middle School Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) 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.