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Watchung, New Jersey - 2 schools
An equity score of 37/100 ranks Watchung Borough School District #428 of 587 districts in New Jersey (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $24,838 per pupil, Watchung Borough School District ranks #286 of 649 New Jersey districts by per-pupil spending (New Jersey districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
671
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$24,838
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Watchung Borough School District operates 2 public schools serving 671 students, placing it among the smallest districts in New Jersey. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 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 Somerset County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $24,838 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper 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 73.7% local, 24.3% state, and 2.0% 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 #428 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 333.5:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 10.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 50.0% White, 19.4% Asian, 17.4% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Bayberry School, enrolling 391 students (59% of the district's total enrollment).
Bayberry School accounts for 58.3% of all Watchung Borough School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Watchung Borough School District a distant remainder — means Watchung Borough 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.
Watchung Borough School District student-counselor ratio is 334:1 — 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 Watchung Borough School District is typically wider than the Watchung Borough School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Watchung Borough School District chronic absenteeism rate is 10.9% — 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 Watchung Borough 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 Watchung Borough School District?
Watchung Borough School District has 2 schools, including 1 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 671 students.
How much does Watchung Borough School District spend per student?
Watchung Borough School District spends $24,838 per student. The district has an equity score of 37/100, ranking #428 in New Jersey.
What is the demographic composition of Watchung Borough School District?
Watchung Borough School District students are 50.0% White, 19.4% Asian, 17.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% African American, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Watchung Borough School District?
Watchung Borough School District has an equity score of 37/100, ranking #428 out of 587 districts in New Jersey.