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Passaic, New Jersey - 20 schools
An equity score of 76/100 ranks Passaic City School District #47 of 587 districts in New Jersey (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $27,936 per pupil, Passaic City School District ranks #127 of 649 New Jersey districts by per-pupil spending (New Jersey districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
12,834
Total Enrollment
20
Schools
$27,936
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Passaic City School District operates 20 public schools serving 12,834 students, placing it in the mid-size range in New Jersey. The school portfolio breaks down into 10 elementary, 8 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 Passaic County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $27,936 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 4.4% local, 82.9% state, and 12.7% 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 76/100, ranked #47 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 3 of 20 schools offering Advanced Placement (42 AP courses district-wide), a 268.8:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 36.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 93.9% Hispanic or Latino, 2.6% African American, 1.5% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Mario Drago School No. 3, with a diversity index of 26.9/100.
Its largest campus is Passaic High School No. 12, enrolling 2,484 students (20% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Vincent Capuana School No. 15, at 147 students, a 17x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Passaic High School No. 12 accounts for 19.4% of all Passaic City School District student enrollment
That concentration means Passaic City 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.
Passaic City School District school enrollment varies 17× across entities
Passaic City School District school enrollment ranges from 147 students (lowest) to 2,484 students (highest), a spread of 2,337 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Passaic City School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 99.6% 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 a supermajority of the population — well past the 75% concentration-grant threshold that unlocks extra funding on top of the basic Title I formula. 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.
Passaic City School District student-counselor ratio is 269:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Passaic City School District is typically wider than the Passaic City School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Passaic City School District chronic absenteeism rate is 36.4% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
How many schools are in Passaic City School District?
Passaic City School District has 20 schools, including 1 high, 10 elementary, 8 combined, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 12,834 students.
How much does Passaic City School District spend per student?
Passaic City School District spends $27,936 per student. The district has an equity score of 76/100, ranking #47 in New Jersey.
What is the demographic composition of Passaic City School District?
Passaic City School District students are 93.9% Hispanic or Latino, 2.6% African American, 1.5% Asian, 1.0% White, averaged across 20 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Passaic City School District?
Passaic City School District has an equity score of 76/100, ranking #47 out of 587 districts in New Jersey.