Plainfield Public Schools
Listed by NCES as Plainfield Public School District (district ID 3413140)
Public school district · Union County · New Jersey · NCES district ID 3413140
Plainfield Public Schools spent $21,278 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 89% of the other New Jersey districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $24,665). Its 14 schools enrolled 7,706 students in 2024-25; 84.0% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $24,099 per student, up 13.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 67% (New Jersey: 90.5%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among New Jersey districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Plainfield Public Schools in enrollment (9,027 to 10,826 students) and Plainfield Public Schools itself.
Where the money came from
$358,019,000 in revenue: 84.0% state, 8.9% local and 7.1% federal. Total spending including $40,939,000 of capital outlay was $338,804,000, or $33,555 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$300,795,000 84%
- Local$31,864,000 9%
- Federal$25,360,000 7%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 329 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25
8,331 students in 2022-23, 7,858 students in 2023-24, 7,706 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 8,331 | 615.2 | 13.5 |
| 2023-24 | 7,858 | 602.2 | 13.0 |
| 2024-25 | 7,706 | 701.7 | 11.0 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$49,636,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,916 per student
Plainfield Public Schools booked $49,636,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 629 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $78,955 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 55 in 100 New Jersey districts with a figure (state median $77,508, 569 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average New Jersey teacher salary at $79,045 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $31,116,000 | 62.7% |
| Special education | $7,324,000 | 14.8% |
| Other programs | $11,196,000 | 22.6% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $5,207 in 2018-19, $9,491 in 2019-20, $4,835 in 2020-21, $4,896 in 2021-22, $4,916 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Plainfield Public Schools scored proficient or above: 20% in reading and 12% in math, against 48.6% in reading and 35.5% in math across New Jersey. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within New Jersey, not across states.
| Subject | This district | New Jersey | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 20% | 48.6% | |
| Math | 12% | 35.5% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
67% of the 674 students in Plainfield Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 90.5% across New Jersey. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | New Jersey | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 67% | 90.5% |
| Students in the class | 674 | 106,157 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
9 elementary schools, 3,747 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedarbrook Elementary School | 671 | 11.2 | 61.7% | Schoolwide program |
| Washington Community School | 557 | 12.4 | 81.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Dewitt D. Barlow Elementary School | 423 | 12.7 | 75.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Emerson Community School | 414 | 11.5 | 64.5% | Schoolwide program |
| Evergreen Elementary School | 398 | 8.6 | 66.6% | Schoolwide program |
| Clinton Elementary School | 386 | 10.6 | 76.4% | Schoolwide program |
| Jefferson Elementary School | 383 | 10.2 | 76.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Charles H. Stillman Elementary School | 317 | 11.4 | 84.5% | Schoolwide program |
| Frederic W. Cook Elementary School | 198 | 5.5 | 41.4% | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
2 middle schools, 1,458 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubbard Middle School | 737 | 11.2 | 79.2% | Schoolwide program |
| Maxson Middle School | 721 | 9.2 | 67.5% | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
3 high schools, 2,501 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plainfield High School | 2,077 | 13.3 | 68.3% | Schoolwide program |
| Plainfield Academy For The Arts & Advanced Studies | 357 | 8.9 | 64.1% | Schoolwide program |
| Pinnacle Academy High School | 67 | 22.3 | 67.2% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Plainfield Public Schools
- Website: plainfieldnjk12.org
- Phone: (908) 731-4200
- Office: 1200 Myrtle Avenue, Plainfield, NJ 07063
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Plainfield Public Schools
- New Jersey districts by spending per studentPlainfield Public Schools ranks 292 of 329 New Jersey districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($21,278).#292 of 329
- Every school district in New JerseyPlainfield Public Schools is the number 18 by size of 672 New Jersey districts, with 10,097 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#18 of 672
- Bayonne School DistrictThe next larger New Jersey district: 10,383 students in fall 2022, $22,001 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$22,001
- New Brunswick Public SchoolsThe next smaller New Jersey district: 9,690 students in fall 2022, $26,893 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$26,893
- Compare Plainfield Public Schools with Bayonne School DistrictEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Plainfield High School, its largest high school2,077 students in 2024-25, 13.3 per teacher.2,077
- Teacher salary spending across New JerseyPlainfield Public Schools spent $78,955 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $77,508); spending, not a salary.$78,955
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Plainfield Public Schools
How many schools and students are in Plainfield Public Schools?
14 schools were open in 2024-25 (9 elementary, 2 middle, 3 high), enrolling 7,706 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Plainfield Public Schools spend per student?
$21,278 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the New Jersey median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $24,665 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $24,099 per student, up 13.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Plainfield Public Schools' money come from?
$358,019,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 84.0% state, 8.9% local and 7.1% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Plainfield Public Schools live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 2,008 of the 10,739 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 18.7%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Plainfield Public Schools spend on teacher salaries?
$49,636,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,916 per student. Divided by the 629 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $78,955 per teacher, more than 55 in 100 New Jersey districts (state median $77,508). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average New Jersey teacher salary at $79,045 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Plainfield Public Schools do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Plainfield Public Schools scored proficient or above: 20% in reading and 12% in math, against 48.6% in reading and 35.5% in math across New Jersey. New Jersey's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Plainfield Public Schools?
67% of the 674 students in Plainfield Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 90.5% across New Jersey. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Plainfield Public Schools' NCES district ID?
3413140. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25