Enrollment
374
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Farmingdale, NJ
Ardena Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Ardena Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 340756003862
👥 S:T ratio 57
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ardena Elementary School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Farmingdale · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.7:1
- students per teacher
- 18.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Ardena Elementary School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ardena Elementary School ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Farmingdale, NJ.
School address
District: Howell Township Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340756003862 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.7:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
18.9%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ardena Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ardena Elementary School
Ardena Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Farmingdale, New Jersey, enrolling 374 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 18.9% lands close to the New Jersey typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 374 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 634 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #399.
Its student body is led by White (63%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%) (diversity index 52/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 748 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Howell Township Public School District also operates Howell Township Middle School North (970 students) and Howell Township Middle School South (893 students) alongside Ardena Elementary 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 Ardena Elementary School compares
Ardena Elementary 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 | 10.7:1 | ▼ 9% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 18.9% | ▼ 36% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 374 | top 59% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.7:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
374
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
18.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% below the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.7:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 40% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
9.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$25,136
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
White 62.6%
Hispanic or Latino 29.1%
Two or More 3.5%
African American 2.7%
Asian 2.1%
Largest group: White at 62.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.1, Ardena Elementary School is about as mixed as the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Howell Township Public School District, which includes Ardena Elementary School.
$25,136
Per student
+1%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+51%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.9%
State 36.7%
Federal 5.4%
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 Ardena Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howell Township Middle School North | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Howell Township Middle School South | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Land O'pines Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ramtown Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Aldrich Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ardena Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 970
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 893
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 530
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar elementary 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 (~374 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ardena Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Ardena Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Howell Township 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 Ardena Elementary School
How many students attend Ardena Elementary School?
Ardena Elementary School has 374 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Farmingdale, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ardena Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ardena Elementary School is 10.7:1, which is 9% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 32% 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 Ardena Elementary School?
18.9% of students at Ardena Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ardena Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Ardena Elementary School is White at 62.6% of enrollment, in Farmingdale, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ardena Elementary School?
Ardena Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ardena Elementary School rank among public schools in Farmingdale?
By Resource Investment Index, Ardena Elementary School ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Farmingdale, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Farmingdale on the city page.
Is Ardena Elementary School a good school?
Ardena Elementary School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median. 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 Howell Township Public School District?
Besides Ardena Elementary School, Howell Township Public School District also operates Howell Township Middle School North (970 students), Howell Township Middle School South (893 students), and Land O'pines Elementary School (530 students). See the Howell Township Public School District district page for the complete list.
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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.