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Manahawkin, New Jersey - 5 schools
An equity score of 35/100 ranks Stafford Township School District #438 of 587 districts in New Jersey (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $22,010 per pupil, Stafford Township School District ranks #470 of 649 New Jersey districts by per-pupil spending (New Jersey districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,480
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$22,010
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Stafford Township School District operates 5 public schools serving 2,480 students, placing it among the smallest districts in New Jersey. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined, 2 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 Ocean County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $22,010 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 55.5% local, 38.1% state, and 6.4% 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 35/100, ranked #438 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.
a 509.4:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 19.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 76.9% White, 17.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Oxycocus Elementary School, with a diversity index of 49.2/100.
Its largest campus is Ocean Acres Elementary School, enrolling 747 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Oxycocus Elementary School, at 176 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Ocean Acres Elementary School accounts for 29.4% of all Stafford Township School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Stafford Township School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Stafford Township School District school enrollment varies 4.2× across entities
Stafford Township School District school enrollment ranges from 176 students (lowest) to 747 students (highest), a spread of 571 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.
Stafford Township School District student-counselor ratio is 509:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Stafford Township School District chronic absenteeism rate is 19.8% — 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 Stafford Township School District is typically wider than the Stafford Township School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Stafford Township 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 Stafford Township School District?
Stafford Township School District has 5 schools, including 3 combined, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 2,480 students.
How much does Stafford Township School District spend per student?
Stafford Township School District spends $22,010 per student. The district has an equity score of 35/100, ranking #438 in New Jersey.
What is the demographic composition of Stafford Township School District?
Stafford Township School District students are 76.9% White, 17.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.8% African American, 1.2% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Stafford Township School District?
Stafford Township School District has an equity score of 35/100, ranking #438 out of 587 districts in New Jersey.