Plainfield Public School District operates 14 public schools serving 10,097 students, placing it among the smaller districts in New Jersey. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 elementary, 4 other, 2 high, 2 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 7,706 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Union County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $30,066 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 9.5% local, 81.5% state, and 9.0% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $99,796 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 68/100, ranked #114 of 587 in New Jersey against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 14 schools offering Advanced Placement (28 AP courses district-wide), a 374:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 29.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 79.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% African American, 1.0% White across the district's schools.
Plainfield High School accounts for 27.0% of all Plainfield Public School District student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Plainfield 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.
Plainfield Public School District school enrollment varies 31× across entities
Plainfield Public School District school enrollment ranges from 67 students (lowest) to 2,077 students (highest), a spread of 2,010 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity — the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Plainfield Public School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 71.8% 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). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants 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.
Plainfield Public School District student-counselor ratio is 374:1 — 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.
Plainfield Public School District chronic absenteeism rate is 29.0% — 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 Plainfield Public School District is typically wider than the Plainfield Public School District-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Plainfield Public School District?
Plainfield Public School District has 14 schools, including 2 high, 2 middle, 6 elementary, 4 other. Total enrollment is 10,097 students.
How much does Plainfield Public School District spend per student?
Plainfield Public School District spends $30,066 per student. The district has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #114 in New Jersey.
What is the average teacher salary in Plainfield Public School District?
The average teacher salary in Plainfield Public School District is $99,796 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Plainfield Public School District?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Union County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Plainfield Public School District?
Plainfield Public School District students are 79.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% African American, 1.0% White, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 14 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Plainfield Public School District?
Plainfield Public School District has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #114 out of 587 districts in New Jersey. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.