An equity score of 33/100 ranks Caldwell-West School District #459 of 586 districts in New Jersey (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $24,093 per pupil, Caldwell-West School District ranks #407 of 648 New Jersey districts by per-pupil spending (New Jersey districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,601
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$24,093
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Caldwell-West School District operates 7 public schools serving 2,601 students, placing it among the smallest districts in New Jersey. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Essex County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $24,093 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 648 New Jersey districts by per-pupil spending. See how New Jersey compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 73.8% local, 22.5% state, and 3.7% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 33/100, ranked #459 of 586 in New Jersey against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 7 schools offering Advanced Placement (18 AP courses district-wide), a 246.2:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 9.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 70.3% White, 21.0% Hispanic or Latino, 3.3% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Harrison School, with a diversity index of 54.5/100.
Its largest campus is James Caldwell High School, enrolling 749 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Harrison School, at 39 students, a 19x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
James Caldwell High School accounts for 28.8% of all Caldwell-West School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Caldwell-West School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.
Caldwell-West School District school enrollment varies 19× across entities
Caldwell-West School District school enrollment ranges from 39 students (lowest) to 749 students (highest), a spread of 710 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Caldwell-West School District student-counselor ratio is 246:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Caldwell-West School District chronic absenteeism rate is 9.0% — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
Comparisons are relative to Caldwell-West School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in New Jersey
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How many schools are in Caldwell-West School District?
Caldwell-West School District has 7 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 4 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 2,601 students.
How much does Caldwell-West School District spend per student?
Caldwell-West School District spends $24,093 per student. The district has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #459 in New Jersey.
What is the demographic composition of Caldwell-West School District?
Caldwell-West School District students are 70.3% White, 21.0% Hispanic or Latino, 3.3% Asian, 2.4% African American, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Caldwell-West School District?
Caldwell-West School District has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #459 out of 586 districts in New Jersey.