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Newark, New Jersey - 63 schools
An equity score of 67/100 ranks Newark Public School District #109 of 587 districts in New Jersey (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $25,301 per pupil, Newark Public School District ranks #251 of 649 New Jersey districts by per-pupil spending (New Jersey districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
41,672
Total Enrollment
63
Schools
$25,301
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Newark Public School District operates 63 public schools serving 41,672 students, placing it among the larger districts in New Jersey. The school portfolio breaks down into 45 combined, 14 high, 4 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a sizeable portfolio before they move, rent, or enrol. 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 $25,301 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper 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 10.8% local, 79.3% state, and 9.9% 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 67/100, ranked #109 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 13 of 63 schools offering Advanced Placement (96 AP courses district-wide), a 480:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 25.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 53.4% Hispanic or Latino, 40.0% African American, 4.6% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Science Park High School, with a diversity index of 60.2/100.
Its largest campus is East Side High School, enrolling 2,046 students (5% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Bruce Street School, at 34 students, a 60x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Newark Public School District school enrollment varies 60× across entities
Newark Public School District school enrollment ranges from 34 students (lowest) to 2,046 students (highest), a spread of 2,012 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Newark Public School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 73.1% 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.
Newark Public School District student-counselor ratio is 480:1 — 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.
Newark Public School District chronic absenteeism rate is 25.3% — 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 Newark Public School District is typically wider than the Newark Public School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Newark 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 Newark Public School District?
Newark Public School District has 63 schools, including 14 high, 4 elementary, 45 combined. Total enrollment is 41,672 students.
How much does Newark Public School District spend per student?
Newark Public School District spends $25,301 per student. The district has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #109 in New Jersey.
What is the demographic composition of Newark Public School District?
Newark Public School District students are 53.4% Hispanic or Latino, 40.0% African American, 4.6% White, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 63 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Newark Public School District?
Newark Public School District has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #109 out of 587 districts in New Jersey.