Enrollment
81
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 341269003111
Alternative High School — Paterson, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Alternative High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 80
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 84
📋 Attendance 0
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: Paterson Public School District · 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
-58% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.6%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+122% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alternative High School 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
Alternative High School reports 81 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 58% below the New Jersey state mean of 11.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 69% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 65.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 122% above the New Jersey average and 27% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 81 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Paterson Public School District spends $31,953 per pupil district-wide, above the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 8.8% from local sources (property taxes), 79.8% from the state, and 11.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Alternative High School 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 | 5:1 | ▼ 58% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.6% | ▲ 122% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 81 | top 3% | — | — |
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
65.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 122% 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
5:1
students per teacher
— 58% below state mean
Top 2% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
100.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$31,953
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 81 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 50.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 81 Top 3% in New Jersey — larger than 97% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 5:1 -58% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 65.6% +122% vs state
NCES ID 341269003111
Student demographics
African American 58.0%
Hispanic or Latino 42.0%
Largest group: African American at 58.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 81:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 14
Out-of-school suspensions 27
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paterson Public School District, which includes Alternative High School.
$31,953
Per student
+9%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+64%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 8.8%
State 79.8%
Federal 11.3%
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
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,846
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 813
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
Similar high schools in Paterson
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Eastside High School
Standard public school
2,073 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
John F. Kennedy High School
Standard public school
1,846 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
International High School
Standard public school
650 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Paterson Steam High School
Standard public school
379 students 9.5:1 students per teacher
Rosa L. Parks School of Fine and Performing Arts
Standard public school
258 students 9.3:1 students per teacher
Paterson P-Tech
Standard public school
193 students 11.9:1 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 Alternative High School
How many students attend Alternative High School?
Alternative High School has 81 students enrolled. It is a high school in PATERSON, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alternative High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Alternative High School is 5:1, which is 58% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 69% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alternative High School?
65.6% of students at Alternative High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alternative High School?
The largest demographic group at Alternative High School is African American at 58.0%. The school serves a student body in PATERSON, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alternative High School?
Alternative High School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) based on 5 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.