Enrollment
395
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 341134003158
Bard Early College High School — Newark, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Bard Early College High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 44
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 36
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: Newark 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)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.3%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+97% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bard Early College 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
Bard Early College High School reports 395 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 58.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 97% above the New Jersey average and 13% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 395 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Newark Public School District spends $36,862 per pupil district-wide, above the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 10.8% from local sources (property taxes), 79.3% from the state, and 9.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), 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 Bard Early College 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 | 14.1:1 | ▲ 18% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.3% | ▲ 97% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 395 | top 44% | — | — |
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
58.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 97% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 87% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.8%
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
$36,862
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 395 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 395 Top 44% in New Jersey — larger than 56% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 58.3% +97% vs state
NCES ID 341134003158
Student demographics
African American 65.1%
Hispanic or Latino 31.4%
Asian 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
Two or More 0.8%
White 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 65.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 395:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.8%
In-school suspensions 15
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Newark Public School District, which includes Bard Early College High School.
$36,862
Per student
+26%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+89%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 10.8%
State 79.3%
Federal 9.9%
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
- 2,046
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,894
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,294
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,213
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,084
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
Similar high schools in Newark
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
East Side High School
Standard public school
2,046 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Barringer High School
Standard public school
1,894 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Essex County Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology
Vocational / career-technical school
1,230 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Central High School
Standard public school
1,051 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Technology High School
Standard public school
662 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Arts High School
Standard public school
611 students 11.2:1 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 Bard Early College High School
How many students attend Bard Early College High School?
Bard Early College High School has 395 students enrolled. It is a high school in NEWARK, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bard Early College High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bard Early College High School is 14.1:1, which is 18% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bard Early College High School?
58.3% of students at Bard Early College High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bard Early College High School?
The largest demographic group at Bard Early College High School is African American at 65.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in NEWARK, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bard Early College High School?
Bard Early College High School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) 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.