NCES CCD 2024-25 46 schools NJ

Best-Resourced Schools in Paterson, NJ

Compiled from official source data by .

46 public K-12 schools in Paterson from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

PlainSchools home → About this data
46
Schools
25,443
Students
30.7/100
Avg Resource Index
12.6:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Large, fragmented school market

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Paterson has more public-school enrollment than 95% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Paterson is among the largest city school systems in this directory by enrollment, but its campuses are divided among 5 districts. That combination matters: citywide averages blend separate budgets, staffing policies, attendance boundaries, and program rules. For a family comparing schools here, the district column is as important as the city average; two nearby campuses may answer to different boards and draw on different F-33 funding pools.

A full K–12 ladder sits inside the city boundary

Paterson's list includes 20 elementary, 2 middle, and 9 high-school campuses, plus 15 combined-grade records. The city average spans every major grade stage, so the ranked table is more informative when read within level than as one interchangeable queue.

The composite and staffing measures point in different directions

Paterson's average Resource Investment Index sits at the 14th percentile, while its teacher-staffing measure sits at the 83rd percentile. The 69-point percentile gap is a reminder that the index is not a class-size score: counselors, gifted-program reporting, and attendance also affect it. Compare those components directly when two schools have similar index totals; the same headline score can arise from a different mix of reported resources.

City enrollment
Top 5%
School count
Top 4%
Resource Index average
14th percentile
Teacher staffing
83rd percentile

Paterson school enrollment varies 41× across entities

Paterson school enrollment ranges from 50 students (lowest) to 2,073 students (highest), a spread of 2,023 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme heterogeneity inside a single city, with small specialty programs listed alongside large comprehensive campuses. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Paterson reports 63.5% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share sits between 62.5% and 75%, above a simple majority but below the highest descriptive band used here. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Paterson operates 5 school districts — among the most fragmented governance structures in the country

Each school district has independent budgeting, hiring, and service delivery authority. The fragmentation reflects historical patterns of inter-municipal boundary lines that pre-date modern city growth, students in different parts of the same city can attend different districts with different per-pupil spending, calendars, and graduation requirements. Per-region variation is largest in fragmented systems because each school district sets its own budget, contracts, and priorities without higher-level coordination above the regulatory floor.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Paterson student-teacher ratio is 12.6:1 — low (typically associated with smaller schools or per-school staffing investment that often correlates with stronger per-student supports)

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

# School Score
1. Alternative High School 67
2. Young Men's Academy 49
3. John F. Kennedy High School 48
4. Philip's Academy Charter School of Paterson 45
5. School 3 44
6. Paterson Arts and Science Charter School 43
7. School 7 43
8. Students Transitioning and Achieving Real Success 43
9. School 1 40
10. Norman S. Weir 39
11. Charles J. Riley School 9 38
12. Paterson Steam High School 36
13. Paterson P-Tech 36
14. Dr. Hani Awadallah School 35
15. School 28 35
16. Rosa L. Parks School of Fine and Performing Arts 35
17. Dale Avenue 33
18. Edward W. Kilpatrick 32
19. School 20 31
20. Community Charter School of Paterson 30
21. Anna Iandoli Early Learning Center 30
22. College Achieve Paterson Charter School 29
23. International High School 28
24. School 27 28
25. School 19 27
26. Alexander Hamilton Academy 26
27. School 8 26
28. School 24 25
29. Senator Frank Lautenberg School 25
30. Roberto Clemente 25
31. New Roberto Clemente 24
32. Eastside High School 23
33. School 18 23
34. School 2 22
35. Joseph a. Taub School 21
36. School 16 21
37. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Complex 21
38. School 12 21
39. School 10 20
40. School 26 20
41. School 5 19
42. School 15 19
43. Rev. Dr. Frank Napier Jr. School 19
44. School 21 18
45. School 13 18
46. Newcomers High School -

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Paterson

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 School 28 61.3/100
  2. 2 School 27 59.8/100
  3. 3 Charles J. Riley School 9 58.7/100
  4. 4 School 19 58.0/100
  5. 5 Joseph a. Taub School 56.7/100

What do families ask about schools in Paterson?

Which Paterson school has the highest Resource Investment Index? ▼

Alternative High School has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Paterson schools in this federal-data comparison at 67/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in Paterson, NJ? ▼

Paterson has 46 public schools with a total enrollment of 25,443 students. 4 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 12.6:1.

Other Cities in New Jersey

Newark
81 schools
Jersey City
52 schools
Elizabeth
38 schools
Trenton
34 schools
Hamilton
27 schools
Camden
23 schools

Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in New Jersey →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.