Enrollment
415
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 340783000142
Academy I — Jersey City, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Academy I, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 81
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Jersey City Public Schools · New Jersey
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.2%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Academy I compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Academy I reports 415 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% above the New Jersey state mean of 11.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 40.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% above the New Jersey average and 22% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 415 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jersey City Public Schools spends $32,533 per pupil district-wide, above the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.5% from local sources (property taxes), 53.5% from the state, and 8.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Academy I compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against New Jersey state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.9:1 | ▲ 17% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.2% | ▲ 36% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 415 | top 47% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
40.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.9:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 86% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
7.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$32,533
per pupil, district-wide
— above New Jersey avg of $29,189
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 415 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 415 Top 47% in New Jersey — larger than 53% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 13.9:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 40.2% +36% vs state
NCES ID 340783000142
Student demographics
Asian 43.0%
White 23.4%
Hispanic or Latino 17.1%
African American 13.3%
Two or More 2.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: Asian at 43.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 415:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jersey City Public Schools, which includes Academy I.
$32,533
Per student
+11%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+67%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.5%
State 53.5%
Federal 8.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,786
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,364
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,082
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Enrollment
- 926
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Enrollment
- 906
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
Similar middle schools in Jersey City
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Franklin L. Williams School
Standard public school
906 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Middle School # 4
Standard public school
755 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Ezra L. Nolan School
Standard public school
250 students 10.6:1 students per teacher
Explore Middle School
Vocational / career-technical school
163 students 10.9:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Academy I
How many students attend Academy I?
Academy I has 415 students enrolled. It is a middle school in JERSEY CITY, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Academy I?
The student-teacher ratio at Academy I is 13.9:1, which is 17% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Academy I?
40.2% of students at Academy I are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Academy I?
The largest demographic group at Academy I is Asian at 43.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in JERSEY CITY, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Academy I?
Academy I has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.