Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal
records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our
editorial standards & corrections policy, the
methodology behind these numbers, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
West Orange, New Jersey - 13 schools
An equity score of 78/100 ranks West Orange Public Schools #40 of 587 districts in New Jersey (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $30,182 per pupil, West Orange Public Schools ranks #79 of 649 New Jersey districts by per-pupil spending (New Jersey districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
6,835
Total Enrollment
13
Schools
$30,182
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
West Orange Public Schools operates 13 public schools serving 6,835 students, placing it among the smaller districts in New Jersey. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 elementary, 3 middle, 3 combined, 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 $30,182 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 64.7% local, 28.3% state, and 7.0% 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 78/100, ranked #40 of 587 in New Jersey against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 13 schools offering Advanced Placement (24 AP courses district-wide), a 372.7:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 16.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 39.0% Hispanic or Latino, 32.1% African American, 16.7% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is St. Cloud Elementary School, with a diversity index of 76.5/100.
Its largest campus is West Orange High School, enrolling 2,106 students (32% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Betty Maddalena Early Learning Center, at 49 students, a 43x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
West Orange High School accounts for 30.8% of all West Orange Public Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means West Orange Public Schools-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.
West Orange Public Schools school enrollment varies 43× across entities
West Orange Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 49 students (lowest) to 2,106 students (highest), a spread of 2,057 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.
West Orange Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 373:1 — 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.
West Orange Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 16.4% — 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 West Orange Public Schools is typically wider than the West Orange Public Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in West Orange Public Schools?
West Orange Public Schools has 13 schools, including 1 high, 3 middle, 6 elementary, 3 combined. Total enrollment is 6,835 students.
How much does West Orange Public Schools spend per student?
West Orange Public Schools spends $30,182 per student. The district has an equity score of 78/100, ranking #40 in New Jersey.
What is the demographic composition of West Orange Public Schools?
West Orange Public Schools students are 39.0% Hispanic or Latino, 32.1% African American, 16.7% White, 4.0% Asian, averaged across 13 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for West Orange Public Schools?
West Orange Public Schools has an equity score of 78/100, ranking #40 out of 587 districts in New Jersey.