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Chatham, New Jersey - 6 schools
An equity score of 33/100 ranks School District of the Chathams #459 of 587 districts in New Jersey (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $23,089 per pupil, School District of the Chathams ranks #388 of 649 New Jersey districts by per-pupil spending (New Jersey districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,637
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$23,089
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
School District of the Chathams operates 6 public schools serving 3,637 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 Morris County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $23,089 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 74.4% local, 23.4% state, and 2.2% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 33/100, ranked #459 of 587 in New Jersey against a state average of 50, notably less 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 (31 AP courses district-wide), a 315.1:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 8.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 68.0% White, 15.7% Asian, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Lafayette Avenue School, with a diversity index of 55.7/100.
Its largest campus is Chatham High School, enrolling 1,205 students (34% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Washington Avenue School, at 286 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Chatham High School accounts for 33.1% of all School District of the Chathams student enrollment
That dominant concentration means School District of the Chathams-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.
School District of the Chathams school enrollment varies 4.2× across entities
School District of the Chathams school enrollment ranges from 286 students (lowest) to 1,205 students (highest), a spread of 919 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.
School District of the Chathams student-counselor ratio is 315:1 — 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 School District of the Chathams is typically wider than the School District of the Chathams-aggregate figure suggests.
School District of the Chathams chronic absenteeism rate is 8.9% — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
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 Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
Comparisons are relative to School District of the Chathams'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 School District of the Chathams?
School District of the Chathams has 6 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary, 3 combined. Total enrollment is 3,637 students.
How much does School District of the Chathams spend per student?
School District of the Chathams spends $23,089 per student. The district has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #459 in New Jersey.
What is the demographic composition of School District of the Chathams?
School District of the Chathams students are 68.0% White, 15.7% Asian, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% African American, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for School District of the Chathams?
School District of the Chathams has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #459 out of 587 districts in New Jersey.