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Carteret, New Jersey - 6 schools
An equity score of 61/100 ranks Carteret Public School District #179 of 587 districts in New Jersey (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $22,472 per pupil, Carteret Public School District ranks #421 of 649 New Jersey districts by per-pupil spending (New Jersey districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,935
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$22,472
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Carteret Public School District operates 6 public schools serving 3,935 students, placing it among the smallest districts in New Jersey. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary 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 Middlesex County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $22,472 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 649 New Jersey districts by per-pupil spending. See how New Jersey compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 30.4% local, 58.0% state, and 11.6% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 61/100, ranked #179 of 587 in New Jersey against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (8 AP courses district-wide), a 369:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 22.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 50.2% Hispanic or Latino, 22.5% Asian, 15.3% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Private Nicholas Minue Elementary School, with a diversity index of 69.6/100.
Its largest campus is Carteret High School, enrolling 1,188 students (30% of the district's total enrollment).
Carteret High School accounts for 30.2% of all Carteret Public School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Carteret Public School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Carteret Public School District school enrollment varies 2.7× across entities
Carteret Public School District school enrollment ranges from 436 students (lowest) to 1,188 students (highest), a spread of 752 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Carteret Public School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 63.1% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Carteret Public School District student-counselor ratio is 369:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Carteret Public School District chronic absenteeism rate is 22.8% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Carteret Public School District is typically wider than the Carteret Public School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Carteret Public 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
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Carteret Public School District?
Carteret Public School District has 6 schools, including 1 high, 3 combined, 1 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,935 students.
How much does Carteret Public School District spend per student?
Carteret Public School District spends $22,472 per student. The district has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #179 in New Jersey.
What is the demographic composition of Carteret Public School District?
Carteret Public School District students are 50.2% Hispanic or Latino, 22.5% Asian, 15.3% African American, 8.5% White, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Carteret Public School District?
Carteret Public School District has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #179 out of 587 districts in New Jersey.