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Maplewood, New Jersey - 10 schools
An equity score of 37/100 ranks South Orange-Maplewood School District #422 of 587 districts in New Jersey (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $22,813 per pupil, South Orange-Maplewood School District ranks #398 of 649 New Jersey districts by per-pupil spending (New Jersey districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
6,811
Total Enrollment
10
Schools
$22,813
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
South Orange-Maplewood School District operates 10 public schools serving 6,811 students, placing it among the smaller districts in New Jersey. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined, 3 elementary, 2 middle, 1 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly 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 $22,813 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 72.1% local, 24.6% state, and 3.3% 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 37/100, ranked #422 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 10 schools offering Advanced Placement (24 AP courses district-wide), a 265.1:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 10.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 53.5% White, 20.7% African American, 11.8% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Montrose Early Childhood Center, with a diversity index of 72.1/100.
Its largest campus is Columbia High School, enrolling 1,985 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Montrose Early Childhood Center, at 98 students, a 20x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Columbia High School accounts for 29.1% of all South Orange-Maplewood School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means South Orange-Maplewood 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.
South Orange-Maplewood School District school enrollment varies 20× across entities
South Orange-Maplewood School District school enrollment ranges from 98 students (lowest) to 1,985 students (highest), a spread of 1,887 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
South Orange-Maplewood School District student-counselor ratio is 265:1 — 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 South Orange-Maplewood School District is typically wider than the South Orange-Maplewood School District-aggregate figure suggests.
South Orange-Maplewood School District chronic absenteeism rate is 10.3% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Comparisons are relative to South Orange-Maplewood 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 South Orange-Maplewood School District?
South Orange-Maplewood School District has 10 schools, including 1 high, 2 middle, 4 combined, 3 elementary. Total enrollment is 6,811 students.
How much does South Orange-Maplewood School District spend per student?
South Orange-Maplewood School District spends $22,813 per student. The district has an equity score of 37/100, ranking #422 in New Jersey.
What is the demographic composition of South Orange-Maplewood School District?
South Orange-Maplewood School District students are 53.5% White, 20.7% African American, 11.8% Hispanic or Latino, 3.1% Asian, averaged across 10 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for South Orange-Maplewood School District?
South Orange-Maplewood School District has an equity score of 37/100, ranking #422 out of 587 districts in New Jersey.