Enrollment
81
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Paterson, NJ
Alternative High School
Federal NCES profile for Alternative High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 341269003111
👥 S:T ratio 87
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 84
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alternative High School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of New Jersey schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in New Jersey.
- #1 of 8
- high schools in Paterson · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 3.2:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 65.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Alternative High School has class sizes smaller than 99% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Alternative High School ranks #1 of 8 high schools in Paterson, NJ.
School address
District: Paterson Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341269003111 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
3.2:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-73% 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
What stands out at Alternative High School
Alternative High School is a higher-need, small high school in Paterson, New Jersey, enrolling 81 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 3.2:1, Alternative High School is leaner than roughly 99% of New Jersey schools and 73% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 65.6% of students qualify for free meals, 122% above the New Jersey average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 97% of New Jersey schools, with 81 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 2,501 New Jersey schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by African American (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (42%) (diversity index 49/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 81 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Discipline events run high: 41 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 81 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Paterson's high schools, it stands alongside Newcomers High School (106 students): Alternative High School is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Paterson Public School District also operates Eastside High School (2,073 students) and John F. Kennedy High School (1,846 students) alongside Alternative High School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Alternative High School compares
Alternative High School on the metrics families compare, against New Jersey and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 3.2:1 | ▼ 73% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.6% | ▲ 122% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 81 | top 97% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
3.2:1
Leaner classes than 99% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
81
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 122% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
3.2:1
students per teacher
- 73% below state mean
Top 1% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 100% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$23,944
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Jersey avg of $24,984
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially 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
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 58.0%
Hispanic or Latino 42.0%
Largest group: African American at 58.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.7, Alternative High School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paterson Public School District, which includes Alternative High School.
$23,944
Per student
-4%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+44%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Alternative High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John F. Kennedy High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Joseph a. Taub School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| School 16 | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| School 5 | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Alternative High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,846
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 813
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
Similar high schools in Paterson
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New Jersey, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~81 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alternative High School's federal record.
- Compare Alternative High School against another school. Compare schools
- Paterson Public School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
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 3.2:1, which is 73% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 80% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. 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% of enrollment, in Paterson, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alternative High School?
Alternative High School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Alternative High School rank among high schools in Paterson?
By Resource Investment Index, Alternative High School ranks #1 of 8 high schools in Paterson, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Paterson on the city page.
Is Alternative High School a good school?
Alternative High School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of New Jersey schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in New Jersey. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Paterson Public School District?
Besides Alternative High School, Paterson Public School District also operates Eastside High School (2,073 students), John F. Kennedy High School (1,846 students), and Joseph a. Taub School (976 students). See the Paterson Public School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.